Just Fantastic
by ChronicallySpaced
Summary: Since the appearance of the Fantastic 4, the government has been struggling to repeat the creation of their powers in order to build a super army. Ongoing. Rated M for language.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fantastic 4 or the Marvel universe. This story was written purely for the amusement of myself and the entertainment of others.

_**Author's Notes:** _Wow, more fanfiction. This is actually a pretty old one, something I started with my boyfriend almost three years ago. I put it on hold for quite some time, but due to my return to , I thought I might at least post what I have. I've reworked some parts of it, trying to fix some of the awkward wordings and harder-to-understand areas. At the moment it's twelve chapters long, but there will be several more, assuming I ever get around to writing them. If anyone is actually interested in the story, please review and let me know, as it would give me a little more incentive to work.

As a general explanation, although the story's concept primarily involves the Fantastic 4, it does take place in the Marvel universe, and therefore you can expect a lot of cameos from familiar faces, including, but not limited to The Hulk and the X-Men. I'm rating it mature for language (because there is a _lot_ of it), but any adult themes probably won't go past innuendo, or perhaps a vague mention.

As always, reviews and critiques are welcome. I do ask that you be a little bit kinder on this, especially the earlier chapters, as it is an older work and I didn't have the time to rewrite it completely. Thanks!

_**CS**_

Light. Just one very small point of light, like the light at the end of a long, pitch-black tunnel. Suddenly, the light began to grow at an accelerated rate, until it engulfed the blackness, only to be replaced by dim fuzziness, a blinding headache, and the onset of severe nausea.

It took the girl a moment to bring herself back to reality—whatever thatmight be. She could tell she was lying on her back on concrete flooring, or at least something about as soft as concrete. The ceiling was spinning in front of her newly focused eyes, like a twisted grey carousel with flourescent tube lights.

"Ya wanna get ya ass outta da middle'a da floor already?"

Flinching involuntarily at the sudden noise, the girl bolted upright and immediately regretted the movement. Her dizziness worsened instantly, and she could feel her stomach churning. The color drained from her face, and any irritation that loud voice may have caused her already pounding headache was forgotten. Reaching out behind her, she inched slowly back against the nearest wall, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Oh, lord, newbie's gonna hurl. Sumbuddy get da bucket."

There was a scraping sound in a nearby corner before a bucket came rolling and bouncing towards her. Deep blue eyes flitted toward it, and she reached out a shaky hand to take hold of the white plastic cylinder, managing to place it upright. She had been nauseated to begin with, but the gritty, filthy bucket served as even more of an inspiration to illness. The girl promptly emptied her stomach into it.

"If she's hurlin from da knock-out, she's gonna be a real _joy_ after da first hit."

Not having the presense of mind to care who was speaking, the girl curled up and shuddered slightly. Long tendrils of raven hair masked her face, hiding the look of terror that graced her delicate features. After a moment or two, she spoke, her voice small and weak.

"Where am I?"

"If any of us knew _dat_, we'd probably tell you," came the voice yet again. As the dizziness and nausea were at last subsiding, the girl managed to turn her frightened gaze on the speaker. The voice belonged to a man, probably in his late teens or early twenties, who was sitting on a nearby bed. He was tall and stocky, not to mention fairly muscular, and clad in an ugly white jumpsuit that was covered with various odd plugs and jacks. His dirty-blonde hair was unkempt, his face scruffy and unshaven. His green eyes were focused on the girl with something of a vague interest, as if he had told himself he had nothing better to do.

The girl's eyes lingered on him for only a moment before moving to take in the rest of her surroundings. She found herself in a long, rectangular room, full of bunk beds and more people in ugly jumpsuits. Most seemed to be keeping to themselves, though a few were conversing in hushed tones. As had been previously observed in her delirium, the walls, floors, and ceilings were all constructed of concrete. There was not a single window to be seen, just one vault-like door and several small vents high on the walls. The only conclusion her threadbare sanity could scrape out of the fog in her mind was that she was in some kind of strange prison. As she leaned against the wall and got to her feet slowly, she wished she had some idea of what had happened. How on earth had she ended up in such a place? Was this some kind of horrible dream?

"Ey, standin already... yer not as weak as I thought," commented the man from before. Clearly he didn't see her legs wobbling as she teetered unsturdily with one hand against the wall. He sighed and turned to address someone else. "Ey, Tak, find 'er a bunk 'fore she splits 'er skull'r sumthin'," he ordered. Alright, so he _had_ noticed.

A noncommittal grunt came from the top bed of the bunk, and another man—presumably "Tak"—dropped down to the floor. He was almost an exact opposite of the first man. Average height, he was incredibly thin with a lean build, and his features were of definite oriental descent. His unkempt black hair was not exactly long, but untidy, with reddish-brown highlighting strands here and there. He was clad identically to everyone else, save for one thing: he was wearing a pair of dark blue sunglasses with a silver rim. This might not have been peculiar if not for the fact that it was difficult enough to see in the already dim lit room.

"There is a free spot a bunk down," he said, the hint of an accent just barely detectable. The girl couldn't exactly pinpoint it, faint as it was, but if she had to guess, she would have said Japanese. "You can walk okay?" he asked.

She gave a rather nondestinct answer, beginning to feel fuzzy again. The foreigner took hold of her shoulders gently and led her to the spot he had mentioned, helping her sit down on the rock-hard mattress. Once he was sure she was settled alright, he took a few steps back and pushed his glasses back up on his nose.

"So, wut's ya name, newbie?" the first man asked.

"Err," she started, rubbing her forehead, "it's ...Rhianna." Well, at least she remembered _that_ much.

The blond man nodded to the foreigner. "Dat's Takeru. He got nabbed by 'immigration.' I'm Ethan. Taken after an eviction from my pad. How'd dey get you?" he asked.

"Nice to meet you..." Rhianna managed, trying to think. Everything seemed to be a blank. All she could remember was walking in the dark. A strong hand had taken hold of her arm and dragged her into an alley. After that, her memory went funny and then just caved in altogether. "I... I don't really remember," she mumbled.

"S'alright," Ethan said, seeming to understand. "Dey use some pretty powerful shit, after all. I prob'ly coulda made my rent off'a it."

Takeru chuckled as he climbed back to the top bunk, but Rhianna had missed the hint of sarcasm in Ethan's statement. At the moment, she wasn't exactly in the state of mind for jokes.

"Anyway, yer best off listenin' ta me. I've been here da longest. If ya can't find me, ask Riceball up dere," Ethan thumbed to the top bunk as he spoke. "He's my second-in-command, I guess." At her aquiescence, he added, "And ta answer yer first question a little better, allow me ta officially welcome ya ta da Freak Factory."

For a moment, all Rhianna could manage to do was stare at Ethan with a relatively blank expression. Was he joking? Any place with a name like that didn't seem like a place into which she would want to be welcomed. "Freak Factory?" she queried, albeit with some hesitation.

Ethan made a face that suggested he had told this story more times than he cared to, and the fact was reflected in his monotonous tone as he began to speak. "Ya'd have ta've been livin' under a rock da last coupl'a years not ta've heard'a da Fantastic 4, right?" When she nodded, he continued, "Well, da military—'least, dat's _my_ take—decided dey wanted a piece'a da action fa dere armies. So, da boys in da lab busy demselves tryin' ta duplicate da space storm dat did it to 'em, so's dey can make supersoldiers, or some shit."

"And we're...?" Rhianna murmured. She already knew the answer, but in a way, she was hoping it wasn't true. Big blue eyes gazed at Ethan hopefully, pleading for him to deny the dreadful knowledge growing in her mind.

"Lab rats," Ethan responded nonchalantly, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. This, if nothing else, seemed to be a testament the man had indeed been there quite some time. Noticing that Rhianna had fallen silent again, Ethan continued with his explanation. "Yer in D Bunk right now, 'cuz yer new. Once dey start testin' on ya, ya'll move up ta udder bunks based on what kinda results dey get outta ya."

"I see," was all she could say.

Ethan sighed, apparently noticing the despondency in her voice. "Best get use'ta it. Dey gaurd dis place better'n friggin' Area 51, so dere's no chance a' runnin'." He paused for a few seconds, his expression thoughtful. "A few idiots higher up'n us've tried..."

The man averted his gaze downward, and everyone in the room went quiet for a moment. The silence frightened Rhianna more than anything she had been told thus far. Whatever had happened to the would-be escapists, it wasn't good.

"Dey don't like traitors," Ethan said simply, as if reading her mind. "Don't resist. Comply. Obey. If yer a good rat, ya get bigger slices of cheese. If ya bite deir hands, ya get sent for radical treatment. 'Nuff said."

Rhianna simply nodded dumbly and scooted back on her bunk to lean against the wall. This had to be a bad dream, it just _had _to be. These sorts of things just didn't _happen_, least of all to someone like her. How could this have happened? She wished, if nothing else, that she could remember what she had done to end up in this place. More than anything, though, she was terrified of the idea that this was indeed her reality, and there would be no way to escape from the horrors that lay ahead.

Soft humming floated from Takeru's bunk, calming her mind only slightly. The song sounded sad and melancholy, drifting lightly through the room and fostering a sense of relief for the prisoners. The tune reminded Rhianna of gently falling snow.

"Maybe you'll luck out'n be like me," Ethan commented as he lay back and stretched out, interrupting the girl's thoughts.

Rhianna didn't look at him. Whatever his situation was, it seemed unlikely he was much better off than anyone else. "What about you?" she asked anyway, if only for something to do, and maybe for the sake of politeness.

"I've been 'ere five months'n dey haven't gotten a ting outta me." A pleased grin crossed Ethan's hardened face. "Drives dae fuckers crazy."

Rhianna's only response was to smile weakly, and she paused to take another look around since her head was beginning to clear. The girl realized now, with some alarm, that the jumpsuits weren't the only unusual thing about some of her roommates. There was a man across the room with four eyes, and a girl hanging from the ceiling with taloned feet, small bat wings protruding from her back. There were others with similar deformities, and Rhianna tried not to look as horrified as she felt. To her relief, however, the majority of those in D Bunk still looked quite normal. They probably had not been there much longer than Rhianna herself. She shook her head in disbelief.

"Yeah, 's pretty fucked up," Ethan said, noticing the look on her face. "But we're all homeless 'r somethin' like that. 'Least we've got a roof, clothes, bed, and three squares a day."

Rhianna supposed there was no arguing with that.


	2. Chapter 2

Only shortly after Rhianna's conversation with Ethan had ended, everyone in D Bunk became deathly silent. It took the girl a moment to notice this, as she had once again lapsed into her own thoughts about the frightening situation into which she'd found herself thrust. As the silence fell, she leaned out over the edge of her bed to look at Ethan, who was grimacing. Half a second later she realized why.

There was a sound coming from the direction of the big, vault-like door. It started out as a soft grinding noise that would not have been noticable if not for the deathly silence, but it soon changed, growing louder and starting to emit a strange clanking. Still stretched out on the top bunk, Takeru pulled a pillow over his face. Rhianna found she couldn't tear her eyes from the door, wondering what was about to happen.

"Might as well get on yer feet, newbie," came Ethan's voice. "It's treatment time, an' yer definitely on da menu 'cause yer new." As soon as he had finished giving his advice, Ethan got to his feet and shoved his hands into his pockets, strolling toward the door.

Rhianna rose from the bed uncertainly, shuffling along behind the man. Between trusting Ethan, who seemed to know what he was talking about, and staying back to fend for herself, the girl determined it would be a much better idea to follow her new acquaintance's lead. Her eyes darted about fearfully to her companions as she trailed along behind the large man. Most of the D Bunkers were staying right where they were, a few of them even hiding under their cots. A few beds down, Takeru was taking the pillow off of his face and putting his sunglasses back on. Ducking the ceiling, he slid off of the top bunk and onto the floor without using the ladder. Wordlessly, the foreigner trudged along behind the other two with a grim expression.

At last, the door slid open, and about half a dozen men filed in. They looked like a group of bizarre futuristic soldiers with the strange armor they were wearing. Rhianna did not fail to notice—or perhaps they made sure she _did_ notice—that they were heavily armed. Another man entered the room behind the soldiers, but he was wearing a labcoat and was armed with a mere clipboard. He was relatively short with grey hair and dark eyes, which Rhianna found to be completely devoid of sympathy for the people cowering in the concrete cell. For a moment, the only sound was the incessant _tap, tap_ of his pen on the clipboard.

"Yo, Dave," Ethan said, breaking the heavy silence.

The doctor scowled, apparently not appreciating the gesture in the slightest. "That's Professor Stanfen to you, Ethan," he replied peevishly. The tapping seemed to increase with his annoyance. "I see you at least seem to be 'willing' tonight."

"Yeah," Ethan sneered, " go willingly or get dae cattle prod. Great choice." The man crossed his beefy arms. "'Sides," he went on, "sumbuddy's gotta put on a tough face fer da newbie, here." He jerked his head around at the sound of Takeru muttering something, but whatever the man had said had not been in English. "Whazzat, Riceball?" he demanded.

Takeru gave a very innocent shrug, which was followed by the "professor" clearing his throat. It seemed he was as patient as he was tolerant. The man was a real saint. "Gentlemen," he spoke again, turning to the soldiers, "please escort Ethan and his little girlfriend to Lab One. I believe our foreign friend is ready for Lab Two. And remember," he glared at Takeru, "no eye contact."

In spite of the sunglasses, Takeru's expression very clearly said that he would just as soon not look at the ugly bastards anyway. One of the big soldiers shoved him in the same direction that Rhianna and Ethan were being sent—out the door. They could hear Stanfen's voice calling off names and treatments and the sound of footsteps, but the sound gradually grew fainter. The little trio reached a fork in the hallway, and Takeru flashed Ethan and Rhianna a sarcastic V-sign as he was guided in the opposite direction. Rhianna watched him over her shoulder for a moment, suddenly having the thought that she may not see him again. It was driven from her mind as her senses were overwhelmed by another new setting.

The gaurd escorted the pair through enormous, heavy doors and into the cleanest room Rhianna had ever seen. It had a queer, unpleasant aroma, like that of an antiseptic. The counters in the room were covered with test tubes and flasks, tanks, and a variety of tools. A few large, metal, slab-like operaing tables had been arranged in the center of the room. What really caught Rhianna's attention, however, were the several enormous, pod-like machines lined up against the wall farthest from the door. Everything in the room looked like it had been taken out of a C-rated sci-fi movie, complete with scientists clad in white labcoats and gloves.

One of the scientists approached, a woman with short brown hair and matching coffee-colored eyes, which were currently studying Rhianna through a pair of square, rimless . She looked very sharp, but not altogether very nice. "A new one, hm?" she asked, moving her gaze to the gaurd. "Where'd you pull her from?"

The gaurd consulted a clipboard, and Rhianna had the most inane desire to laugh. So far, the only thing she knew for certain about this place was that everyone seemed to possess a clipboard, even the soldiers, who apparently hid it in their shiny, plastic-looking armor. The girl wondered absurdly if it was a part of the dress code.

"Runaway, sir," the gaurd finally responded.

The scientist didn't seem very happy with his answer, made evident by the icy look she was giving him. "What have I told you about runaways?" she snapped, but didn't wait for an answer before giving an irritated sigh. "Oh, well. At least she won't need shots." Looking to the gaurd again, she started barking instructions. "Make a convincing body, and stick it somewhere the search parties will find it."

"Yes, ma'am," the gaurd replied mechanically, but showed no sign of movement.

The scientist stared at him for a moment. "...well?" she demanded.

"Sorry, ma'am... how shall we set things up?" the gaurd questioned.

The scientist gave him a withering look, as if she thought him to be dumber than a sack of dirt. "I don't _know_! Try using your head for once! Kidnapping and murder, drug overdose... _something_. Just _do_ it, will you?" She shook her head as the guard gave a quick salute and high-tailed it out of the lab. The scientist sighed again before turning to her test subjects, but her eyes narrowed with obvious dislike as they fell on Ethan.

"...hello again, Ethan."

A wicked grin spread across the blond's face. "Miss me?" he asked the scientist cheekily.

Before she could respond, another scientist strode over to the group, but this time it was a man. He had reddish hair and green eyes, but he didn't look much nicer than the woman. He, too, had a clipboard, just like everyone else.

"Chamber three for you today, then," he quipped to Ethan. "The new subject will start with chamber one on the lowest dose," he instructed his assistants.

"She has a name, you know," Ethan told the man indignantly, causing Rhianna to look at him in slight surprise.

The scientist scowled as he started writing. "As if I care, you little rat," the man replied flatly. The next thing Rhianna knew, he was sprawled out on the floor from Ethan's fist colliding with his face.

"Her name's Rhianna, you sick bastard!" he shouted as a few gaurds rushed to restrain him. "We're people, too! Damn it, get off me!"

The scientist was angrier than a wet hornet as the female scientist from earlier tried to help him up. He shoved her off irritably, his hand covering his nose in an attempt to stop the blood gushing from it. "CHAMBER FIVE!" he bellowed furiously, "MAXIMUM OUTPUT! _**NOW**_!!"

Rhianna watched in horror as Ethan was dragged to one of the pods in spite of his struggling and heaved inside. The door shut with a loud _thud_, then clicked to lock. Whatever they were doing to him, it didn't look _or_ sound good, and she was getting scared.

"Cocky little shit," the scientist mumbled, getting a kleenex for his nose.

Pounding could be heard from inside the chamber, and tears started to run down Rhianna's cheeks. She whipped her head around to look at the scientist. "What are you doing to him!?" she asked frantically.

"Shut up," he snapped, "or you'll get the same."

"Sir," the female scientist interrupted, almost looking as frightened as Rhianna, "we've never done maximum output before. We don't know what will happen." There was a hint of dislike in her eyes as she looked at him, most likely stemming from his earlier treatment of her.

The other scientist met her statement with a menacing glare. "He hasn't shown us a single result as of yet! The department is _laughing_ at us! I don't care about your goddamn insecurities, I want maximum output, _now_. We're going to get something out of him today!"

In spite of looking like she wanted to argue, all the other scientist said was, "Yes, sir." She turned toward the chamber containing Ethan and walked stiffly over to make some adjustments on its console.

"Get the mouse in One," the scientist ordered a nearby gaurd.

The gaurd gave a nod and took hold of Rhianna's arm, pulling her roughly toward another of the machines. She went without a fuss (it was not as if she could actually get away), watching as the woman fired up chamber five. It began to emit terrifying cracklings and rumblings, but louder and more horrifying than those sounds were the screams.

Realizing Ethan was in trouble, Rhianna cried out, "Don't hurt him!" She fought against her escort only to be shoved none-too-softly into the first chamber by the much stronger gaurd. Throwing herself against the door, she screamed to be let out, her fists beating on the cold metal helplessly. The girl soon realized it was an exercise in futility, and sank to the floor, listening to the screams of her companion and awaiting whatever torment lay in store for her.

The inside of the chamber lit up, revealing very little apart from a variety of vents. A low hum began, and Ethan's screams grew quieter and quieter. She had no idea if he was being muffled by the growing noise, or if he was falling silent on his own for reasons she did not dare consider. Rhianna flattened herself against one wall, more to allay her fear than to do herself any favors. An orange-reddish haze began to filter in through the vents on the floor with a quiet hiss, and she closed her eyes, struggling to remain as calm as she could. More and more of the strange gas poured into the chamber, causing her skin to prickle uncomfortably when it came in contact with it. The tingling feeling seemed to envelope her and soak into every pore, saturating her entire being. Even her brain felt like it was stinging.

Eventually, the hissing of the vents slowed before stopping altogether, and the remaining smoke wafted out through the vents on the ceiling. The tingling faded, only to be replaced with severe weakness, and Rhianna collapsed onto the floor in a small heap. Though she barely noticed, once the haze was gone, a white-colored smoke drifted into the chamber. It was a decontaminating agent, making sure the girl would be safe to handle.

A moment later the door opened and a gaurd hefted her onto his shoulder, carrying her out. He transported her to one of the cold metal tables on the other side of the room, where the female scientist was waiting to run tests on her. Before Rhianna was even aware of what was happening, she felt herself plunged onto darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

The world was slow to come into focus when Rhianna finally resumed conciousness. Propping herself up on her elbows, she gave a bleary look around, waiting for the fuzz in her vision to clear. This seemed all too familiar to the girl, but at least she was in her bunk this time and not on the floor. It took her a moment to remember what had happened.

_...Ethan!_

She sat up quickly, swinging her feet over the edge of the bed. The man was nowhere to be found, although Takeru was back in his usual spot, looking almost as if he had never left. His voice drifted softly to her, and he almost seemed to be talking to himself.

"Takeru?"

The man didn't look down at her when he spoke. "What?"

"Um..." she swallowed hard, still feeling groggy. "Where's Ethan?"

"_Che!_" he exclaimed, turning to look at her without realizing his sunglasses were resting on his chest, not on his face. Stopping himself, he moved his head jerkily to glare at the ceiling. "How should I know?" he mumbled. "Dead, maybe. Then again, maybe not. They didn't bring him back with you."

Rhianna thought about that quietly for a moment, rubbing her arm. It was frightening how easily Takeru spoke about death, as though it was all that awaited any of them. Surely there was a small hope that they would escape this place. Shaking her head, the girl scooted back to lie down and curl up again. She was afraid, not only for herself, but for Ethan and the rest of them. She was scared for the world that cared nothing about tormenting and expirimenting upon its fellow man.

Half an hour passed with Rhianna drifting between light sleep and dark thoughts before a pair of gaurds came dragging Ethan back into the cell-like room. They said nothing, and did nothing aside from depositing his limp body unceremoniously on the floor before making their exit. Rhianna waited until they were out of the room before sitting up and edging closer to Ethan's motionless form. He looked almost the same as he had when they been escorted away earlier, but his suit was badly burned in places. Takeru had slipped his sunglasses on and was peering over the side of his bed at his bunkmates. It was several minutes more before Ethan finally began to stir.

"Ethan?" Rhianna spoke quietly, and was met with a groan. Deep azure eyes focused on the man as he struggled to his feet, only to fall back down. The small girl rushed to his aid.

He tried to fight her off. "Dun' need... yer fuggin'—" he coughed, "—'elp..."

"Don't consider it help, then," she responded, keeping a firm hold on him. "Consider it repayment." When he grunted in approval, she helped him over to his bed.

"Looks like they did a number on you," Takeru commented.

Ethan gave another groan as he stretched out on his bed, apparently in a lot of pain. "Number five... max..." An almost sadistic smile crossed his face. "Fugger's still get nuthin'..."

"_Sugoi_," Takeru murmured, whistling lowly. "Bet they're tearing their hair out over it as we speak."

"Bet yer ass... dey are..." Scarcely had the words escaped the Ethan's mouth, the man slipped into unconciousness.

Rhianna looked at him with worry. "Will he be okay?" she queried, looking up at Takeru for some kind of reassurance.

"Him?" Takeru replied thoughtfully. "...yes. He'll be fine," he responded at last, as though it was a simple matter. "I'm going to sleep. _Oyasumi nasai_, Rhianna." Without waiting for any sort of reply, he removed his sunglasses and rolled over, pulling the bunk's thin blanket over himself.

"Um," Rhianna mumbled, not recognizing a couple of the words he'd used, "g... goodnight." Looking around, the girl realized that most of the people in D Bunk were turning in for what she could only assume to be the night. With nothing better to do and no reason to stay awake, Rhianna crawled into bed and curled up tightly, falling into a fitful sleep.

She felt as though she had only been dormant for a few moments when she was rudely awakened by a familiar sound. The door's grinding and creaking caused her to bolt upright and give a frightened look around. She discovered immediately that she must have been asleep much longer than it had seemed, because Ethan was sitting up in bed, watching the soldiers escort small groups out of the bunk. Trembling, she shrank back closer to the wall.

Noticing her anxiety, Ethan spoke up. "Relax, kid. S'breakfast time." Getting to his feet, he motioned to her. "C'mon."

A gaurd came to escort them and a few others, with Ethan and Rhianna moving to follow. Takeru, who had made no effort to get up, was pushed roughly off of his bunk. He hit the floor with a loud _thud,_ grudgingly picking himself up a moment after. Removing his sunglasses from his pocket, the foreigner examined them to make sure they were still in tact, emitting a few wheezes from having the wind knocked out of him. Satisfied, he slipped the miraculously unharmed glasses onto his face as he staggered to his feet to join the other two.

Ethan gave him a withering look. "Y'could teach da fuckers a lesson an' look at 'em, y'know..." When Takeru shook his head, Ethan shrugged. "Suit yerself. If I actually got summin' from all dis bullshit, I sure as hell'd use it ta get some respect."

"If they keep nuking you, you will," Takeru responded simply. "And as tough of a time as they're having, they're going to be sorry when you do."

Rhianna phased out of the conversation quietly, having little or no concept of what the two men were talking about. Her mind wandered to meditate over the type of food they would serve in this god-forsaken place. Eventually, she determined it to be a bad train of thought, and ended it by drolly admiring the back of the person in front of her. It looked exactly like all the other backs of those in front of her, unsurprisingly. Eventually the little caravan was herded into a cafeteria, though, just like every other room in the place, there were no windows. Rhianna turned to look at the door as it pounded shut and clicked.

"Where do they think we're going to go?" she asked with a weary smile.

Ethan shrugged. "They're never sure'a what we'll develop. Dey're coverin' deir asses." He leaned slightly to peer down the line of people before looking back at her. "We had a guy a few weeks ago, 'could make himself look like anyone else. He knocked a gaurd out, stole 'is face, an' was halfway to freedom 'fore dey caught 'im."

"Whoa," Rhianna breathed appreciatively.

"And yet," Takeru complained as they neared the food assembly, "the best I can come up with is the boogeyman."

"S'what ya get get fer lookin' at da toughest gaurd!" Ethan chastised. "Ya oughtta be eyein' da docs. God only knows da monsters _deir_ nightmares make."

Takeru chuckled. "I'm just afraid they see _you_!" he teased, ducking off the sausage link Ethan flinged at him. "_Gomen, gomen_," he apologized faceciously.

Ethan snorted and grabbed a plate, handing it to Rhianna before siezing one for himself. "S'the only 'good' part'a this dump. The cooks actually feed us like people."

"Hmm. One thing I can be pleasantly surprised about," Rhianna mused, looking over the food selection. True to Ethan's words, it looked incredibly appetizing, although whether that was from its actual quality or her ravenous hunger the girl couldn't be certain. She could hardly remember the last time she had eaten. It must have been dinner, that night; the night before... before any of this.

"Dey're not da best cooks, but it's better'n what you'll find in most soup kitchens," the man was saying as he dished himself up some eggs and bacon. Grinning in Takeru's general direction, he said, "Still none'a yer omnigeari, Riceball."

Though at first he looked like he might correct Ethan, he instead chose to shake his head and sigh sadly. "What I wouldn't give for a bowl of miso..." he paused, eyeing a fork as he picked it up, "...and a pair of chopsticks." The discontented asian turned his gaze to his companions' retreating backs and quickly moved to catch up with them.

The trio seated themselves at a nearby table, at first too busy eating to carry on any sort of conversation. Rhianna chewed thoughtfully, still thinking the entire situation to be rather surreal. She didn't suppose she was about to wake up any time soon.

"So," Ethan said, interrupting her thoughts, "feelin' any different?"

Rhianna opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by Takeru.

"No, I feel just peachy. Thanks for asking," he replied with a charming smile. Rhianna couldn't avoid smiling, too.

Ethan shot him an exasperated look. "Wonderful, my dear Riceball," he groused.

Rhianna took another bite before responding to the original question. "I feel about the same, I guess..."

Ethan didn't respond for a moment. When he did, it was only to pose another uncertain question. "How'd it feel?"

"Unpleasant," Rhianna spat, uneager to recall the sensation. "That's about it. Gross, tingly... unpleasant." She narrowed her eyes. "I'm getting redundant."

"It's morning," he countered. "I'm surprised yer awake an' coherent."

Rhianna smirked. "It looks to me like we don't have much choice about being awake." She gave a quick glance to Takeru.

"Aah!" he exclaimed, pointing his fork at her accusingly. "You noticed, eh?"

"Did it hurt?" she asked, trying not to look amused.

He waved a hand dismissively. "Nah." An odd look crossed his face, then, but Rhianna could only guess at what he might be thinking.

"Dey must be refinin' da shit again," Ethan murmured, almost to himself. "S'been too quiet around here lately... no breakout attempts in a week. Everyone's losin' heart... sellin' out..."

"I could see how that would happen," Rhianna said quietly.

Takeru sighed, peering into his empty glass. "I admit, counselor, I'm feeling discouraged," he bemoaned dramatically.

"Y'know, Riceball, if I weren't worried 'bout what you'd do, I'd beat da snot outta ya some days," Ethan said irritably. It seemed he had little appreciation for the foreigner's sense of humor.

"Worried?" Takeru questioned. "What are you worried about?"

"Oh c'mon," Ethan retorted, "ya'd whip off dem glasses an' I'd be screwed, prob'ly."

For a moment it looked like Takeru was going to respond, but instead he just grew somber and finished his breakfast silently. Rhianna felt confused by the exchange, but was clueless as how to even begin asking about it. Sighing, she drained the remaining juice from her glass.

"...yer probably lost, newb," Ethan said, as if suddenly realizing it. "Riceball here's literally everyone's worst nightmare. He looks 'em in da eyes an' becomes what dey fear most. S'why he's sportin' blind fashion most'a da time."

"Ahh, I see," she replied. "I was wondering." Cocking her head to the side, she looked at Takeru thoughtfully.

Takeru rested his chin in his hand, returning her gaze through the glasses. "Why does everyone look at me like that?" he inquired, though there was no annoyance to his tone.

"Cause knowin' dat, everyone stops ta think what you'll become," Ethan said flatly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Takeru neared Rhianna's face, caramel eyes gazin at her piercingly from behind blue lenses. "Are you scared of spiders?" he asked ominously. "I _hate_ being a spider."

Rhianna leaned back, inching away from him. What was he going on about? She was in the middle of thinking how gross spiders were, when she realized how absolutely ridiculous his statement was. Before she knew it, laughter escaped her lips. Even Ethan chuckled slightly.

Takeru sat back and shook his head. "Way more legs than I _ever_ want to have again," he stated passionately.

"Again!?" Rhianna demanded, eyes widening. He wasn't kidding?

Before Takeru had a chance to respond, an unfamiliar person approached and leaned down to speak into Ethan's ear. Whatever they were saying caused a scowl to set itself in his features. He half sighed, half growled as the messenger walked away. "Word from Ear is we're gettin' run through da wringer t'day. Some high muckity fucks are comin' to see how da project's goin'." Spotting Rhianna's look, he continued, "In udder words, da labrats are showdogs today."

Takeru groaned and let loose what sounded like a string of foreign curses. Rhianna could feel her chest grow tight, too petrified to imagine what this might entail. "S-so," she managed, "what are we supposed to do?"

"Well," Ethan began, "some'a deir successes'll be paraded around like purebred bitches, an' dey'll probably try an' force some results outta da likes'a D Bunk." He finished off his breakfast with a disgusted look on his face.

"You can bet I'll be thrown out there," Takeru lamented. Laughing dryly, he added, "Maybe they'll all piss their pants and run away crying like babies." The comment seemed strangely uncharacteristic to Rhianna.

Ethan actually laughed. "Dat'd be great." His expression darkened before he went on. "God knows dey're gonna shove me out dere an' try somethin'. Last time I was dodgin' fuggin' grenades." He glanced to Rhianna, who was beginning to look ill. "...y'alright?" he asked. When his only response was a weak, unconvincing nod, he tried to smile. "Dun worry. Yer new. If dey toss ya out at all, dey'll just run ya troo an obstacle course. Dey do dat shit ta me 'cause dey can't get anythin' outta me."

"That's a relief," Rhianna remarked, some of the color returning to her face. The alleviation of fear lasted only a moment, as the doors of the cafeteria were thrown open. Dozens of gaurds milled into the room, plucking people from their seats. Takeru was pulled to his feet roughly. Dusting himself off, he subtly pushed his glasses up on his nose with his middle finger. Ethan, too, was dragged out of his chair.

"Guess it's showtime," he said with mock bravado. "Don't worry," he exulted sarcastically, "dey make everyone else watch."

Rhianna smiled uncertainly. "Um... good luck?" she tried, getting the feeling her new friends were going to need it.

Ethan chuckled and thanked her as he was directed out of the room. As soon as he and the others were gone, those remaining were led out of the cafeteria and on another long trek. The end of their journey was a large room with a single long window, looking out on what appeared to be an arena. Rhianna trudged along with the others until everyone was inside and had a place near the window.

The "arena," in all actuality, was nothing more than an enormous, circular room. It was made to look like an outdoor arena, with boulders and smaller rocks littering the dusty floor. The walls slanted upward for almost twenty feet before veering to ascend at a ninety degree angle. It almost looked as though there should be seats, like one would find in an ampitheater, but the engineer had forgotten to put them in. There was little more to see, save for another window right across from the one the group was looking out of. It was made in such a way that those looking from the outside could not see in. Rhianna could only assume this was where the "high muckity fucks" were congregating.

She was distracted from her observations when Takeru stepped through the only door in the entire room below. He was unaccompanied as he walked to the center of the arena, hands in his pockets. Standing in silence, he waited, until finally a reluctant gaurd was shoved out of the door to join him.

"Hey, Sunshine," Takeru greeted. "You're not afraid of spiders, are you?" When the gaurd shook his head, the man nodded. "_Yokatta_," he said, removing his sunglasses and slipping them into his pocket. Turning, he let his gaze fall on the gaurd, only to find that the big soldier had his eyes tightly shut. Sighing, Takeru removed a shoe, drew back, and pitched it right at the gaurd's head.

It made contact with a resounding _thock_. "Ow!" the gaurd bellowed. "You little... shit..." he trailed off upon realizing he had made eye contact with the foreigner.

A revolted grin seemed to cross Takeru's face, but other than that, nothing happened. Silence hung heavy in the air as everyone waited breathlessly to see what was to come. Suddenly, the man clamped his hands over his head, squeezing his eyes shut and uttering a pained cry. The cry quickly morphed into a low growl that Rhianna couldn't help thinking didn't sound human in the slightest. His visage began to blur and contort strangly, until another image started to appear, swirling around him, blinking in and out of existence like a mirage. It was strange to watch, in that it was not so much that the man himself was changing, but that everyone was seeing him differently. After a few agonizing seconds, a monstrous, demonic gorilla stood in the place of the small Japanese man.

The gaurd emitted a high-pitched shriek unbefitting a soldier and began to scuttle away from the beast, tripping over his own feet. The gorilla charged after him, snatching up the man with a massive fist. A sick gleam entered the brute's eyes as it began shaking the gaurd around like a rag doll. Rapidly losing interest in its newfound toy, it tossed him aside into the nearest wall. Luckily for the gaurd, he had lost conciousness already.

Just as abruptly as it had appeared, the gorilla's image disintegrated, as if blown away by some strange wind. Moments later, all that remained was Takeru standing in the middle of the arena, pushing his sunglasses back onto his face. Another gaurd entered the arena quickly to restrain him.

"_Kutabare_," he hissed, spitting on the gaurd. The gaurd looked like he would very much like to beat the foreigner senseless, but reigned in his fury and simply dragged him back towards the door. Rhianna hadn't noticed it at first, but Takeru wasn't looking too good.

The girl had no idea what to think of the display, and things only got worse from there. One by one, people were paraded out to give a presentation of their powers for the project's investors. Eventually, Takeru was brought to join the others in the small viewing room. Spotting Rhianna, he moved to join her wordlessly. The show was sickening in and of itself, but there was one moment of the day that topped all the rest when a girl not much younger than Rhianna was herded out into the arena. She had somehow gained a stretching power—identical to that of Reed Richards'. The demonstration was going well until the scientists decided to try to blow her up and test her capacity to expand. Ultimately, they exceeded it and the girl popped.

Rhianna, horrified, thought she might actually vomit. Everything inside her screamed for this to end, for her to be freed from watching the sadistic performance. Takeru placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, closing his eyes. Rhianna was shaking in terror, unable to wrap her mind around the fact that people were being killed without a thought. More "guinea pigs" came and went before her eyes, almost without her notice, as her mind fought desperately against this hopeless reality. The only thing sufficient to bring her out of her hopeless descent into despair was when Ethan trotted out into the arena.

"Do... do you think he'll be okay?" she asked Takeru nervously.

The Japanese man nodded slightly, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. He hadn't released her since the spectacle with the stretchy girl, though it was uncertain if it was more for her benefit or his. "He's Ethan. He'll be fine."

Though Rhianna was growing dissatisfied with this increasingly common response, she said nothing and merely returned her gaze to the arena. She genuinely hoped Takeru was right, though, because a pack of starved attack dogs had just been released into the coliseum. Even though the enormous room was almost entirely soundproof, everyone could hear Ethan's drawn-out exclamation of "FUUUUUUCK!"

Rhianna wanted to close her eyes, cover her face and block out the entire scenario, but she found she couldn't tear her eyes from Ethan. She could feel Takeru's grip on her shoulder tightening as the man charged right at the pack of canines, picking up a large rock on his way. They watched him, almost mesmerized by the sickening game, as he fought off the dogs like a man possessed, until he was the only one left standing. As he staggered out of the arena, Takeru finally released Rhianna's shoulder.

"Told you," he said weakly.


	4. Chapter 4

Time passed unnoticed in the viewing room for both Takeru and Rhianna, until eventually they were joined by Ethan. He staggered in looking horribly torn up and bruised, but the man was still sporting his cocky grin. The pair must have given him a really strange look, because it only widened.

"Dogs," he said, "I grew up in da fuggin' Bronx, an' dey trew _dogs_ at me." His tone was a mix of disgust, relief, and amusement as he continued, "Dey're really slippin'."

Rhianna looked him over for a moment. He looked bad. His suit was torn and stained with blood in places. Compulsively, she reached to rub her arm slightly. "I'm glad you're oka—" she halted mid-sentence, realizing the fallacy of her statement. "Well," she said quietly, "I'm... glad you're still alive."

"Danks," was the simple response.

As per usual, Takeru chose to break the tension. "I thought up a superhero name for you!" he declared, dancing on the line between charm and annoyance. The look he received from Ethan was an almost grim curiosity, both he and Rhianna wondering if they truly wanted to hear this. After a dramatic pause, the Japanese man made his triumphant announcement of, "The Human Roach!"

Ethan made a motion that implied he wanted to punch Takeru's lights out. "Riceball," he growled, "yer lucky I'm sore as hell right now."

Takeru almost looked bewildered, as if he thought it was an endearing, perhaps even complimentary name. He smiled as he tried to redeem himself. "They have thrown things at you that would kill Mr. Fan-fucking-tastic." He tossed in the expeletive as if he thought it would win Ethan back over to him somehow. "I think you have an inability to die," he explained cheerily.

Ethan snorted. "Mr. Fantastic is a wussy egghead who grew up in da rich part'a town," he retorted unhappily.

Rhianna looked between the two, frowning. Trying to smile, she made an attempt at lightening the situation. "So... I guess it's Mr. Not-As-Advertised, huh?" she queried.

Takeru looked surprised to hear such a satirical comment issue from her mouth, but the other man showed little reaction. His eyes were fixated on the arena, and he seemed troubled. When he spoke, he seemed distant.

"Looks like dey're done fer da day."

Not long after the statement was made, gaurds entered the room to escort the group back to their respective bunks. It proceeded without incident, everyone most likely reflecting on what had transpired. The D Bunkers were herded into their barrack, then promptly locked in and abandoned. The nonchalance of it all struck a strange chord in Rhianna.

Immediately upon entering, Ethan made his way over to a medical cabinet and began removing things from it. Takeru had moved to sit down as quickly as he could, doubling over and burying his face in his hands. Rhianna made her way over to her nearby bunk and seated herself, glancing at Ethan.

He had removed the upper part of his jumpsuit and was bandaging his various wounds. The number of scars on his back bordered on the grotesque, and Rhianna forced herself to look away, her gaze wandering over the others around her. Oddly enough, she found that several people were staring boldly at the sight she had averted her eyes from. When she peeked back, she found Ethan was actually stitching up one of the nastier gashes without even a hint of flinching. Takeru was not watching, and he seemed to be feeling rather ill.

Finishing up, Ethan disappeared into a small connected bathroom, presumably to don a clean jumpsuit. In the meantime, Takeru climbed weakly up to his bunk and removed his glasses. Rhianna watched his fatigued motions before sighing softly and hugging her knees. Silence prevailed in the time that passed until Ethan returned to stretch out on his bunk. Rhianna leaned her head against one of the bedposts and closed her eyes.

"Y'alright, newbie?" Ethan asked, startling her.

She opened her eyes and shook her head a little, shrugging. "Yeah," she paused. "I'm okay... sorta."

The man nodded his understanding. "Best get some rest," he chided. "Dey'll prob'ly test again soon."

Rhianna gave a slight nod in response and moved to lie down. Pulling the solitary thin blanket over herself, she shuddered. All of this was really too much. Horrific thoughts laced with fear and doubt bombarded her mind until she finally slipped into restless sleep.

Morning, if that was truly what it was, came all too soon for the denizens of D Bunk. They were given the usual wake up call of the enormous door opening noisily. Rhianna sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes and blinking. It took several moments for her to realize what was going on.

"Right on schedule," Ethan lamented.

The man from before, Professor Stanfen, entered. He was looking as friendly as ever as he approached Ethan's bunk. "C'mon, tough guy, on your feet," he ordered. "Your theatrics yesterday have earned you a new style of treatment."

"Oh?" Ethan asked dryly. "And whazzat? _Humane_?" Shaking his head, he stood. "Whatever. Let's go."

Rhianna did not protest as she was pulled roughly to her feet by one of the gaurds. Takeru, mercifully for him, was left right where he was, stretched out on his bunk. He was only half asleep, but he looked a lot like he could have thrown up on someone's shoes at any moment. Two familiar-looking gaurds took hold of Rhianna, and much to her surprise dragged her off in the opposite direction of Ethan. Soon, she found herself in what would grow to be a familiar room.

The male scientist from before was sporting bandages on his broken nose, and she wondered if that was part of the reason Ethan had been taken to a different lab. If it was, he made no comment in regard to it, only tapped his pen on his clipboard in thought as she was tossed into the first chamber again. Finally, he looked up.

"Up the mouse's dosage today," he ordered. Almost as an afterthought, he added, "And try the anabolic catalyst."

Rhianna had no idea what _that_ meant, but it sounded unpleasant. Something told her that her anabolic didn't really need a catalyst all that much, and she was pretty sure she wasn't going to feel too good after it got one. The female scientist took a step into the chamber, siezing her arm and pushing a sleeve up. She felt around the girl's veins for a moment before pulling out a syringe filled with a deep purple fluid.

"What... is that?" Rhianna asked uncertainly. She didn't really have a fear of needles and never had, not even as a child, but the idea of having some strange liquid resembling grape juice injected into her arm suddenly seemed less than appealing.

The woman took the cap off of the needle with her teeth. "Classified," she responded. Finding the vein again, she jabbed the needle into Rhianna's arm, injecting the fluid.

Rhianna bit her lip, fighting the urger to shudder. Whatever the liquid was, it was cold. It felt like she was freezing from the inside, and it took all of her composure not to grab the woman's hand and tear the needle out of her arm. When the syringe had been emptied, the woman carefully withdrew the needle. Without another word, she stepped out and shut the door to the chamber with a _clank_.

Rhianna sank to the floor, wrapping her arms around herself tightly as she shivered. The cold was bone-chilling, almost to the point of being unbearable. As if that wasn't bad enough, the orange-red vapor began drifting in through the vents, adding the stinging, prickling feeling to her misery. The sensations seemed to mingle and amplify each other. She tried to scream, but when she opened her mouth no sound came. The suffering lasted for what seemed like an eternity, until finally the smoke filtered out through the top, followed by the white decontaminating vapors. The cold feeling remained.

A gaurd opened the door to the chamber and took hold of her. He dragged her limp body across the room and deposited her onto the examining slab. Rhianna could feel herself teetering back and forth between conciousness and unconciousness. Everything was so bright, so blurry. Voices echoed around her, blaring like sirens and causing her head to ache. The volume and fuzziness made it impossible for her to understand what they were saying. She could make out only a few words, echoing distantly in her ears.

"...showing some response..."

Soon, the girl could feel herself being picked up and carried away, to where she could only imagine. For a while her mind could not even grasp what was happening, it was so overwhelmed. Eventually she was dropped onto her bed in D Bunk, then abandoned. Takeru leaned over the side of his bunk and watched wordlessly as she curled up under her blanket, shivering uncontrollably.

Ethan staggered into the room, almost all of the color drained from his face. His sleeves were rolled up, and gauze had been taped over his elbow joints. Crossing the room, he sank onto his bunk. When his eyes fell on Rhianna, however, he immediately removed the blanket from his bed and placed it over her.

The girl tried to thank him, but she could not seem to find her voice. Her teeth were chattering and she felt horribly sick, even worse than she had when she first awoke in the place. She convulsed violently and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to somehow fall asleep and escape everything.

Takeru watched the two for a moment more before leaning back and lying down again. He stared at the ceiling with his empty, tired eyes. All he could do was wonder how much longer any of them could continue on like this.


	5. Chapter 5

Time passed, though it was hard to say how much. Days melted into one another, slowly turning into weeks. Rhianna could only tell that it had been less than a month due to biological reasons. Even if that was the case, the time felt like an eternity. Her treatments had been increasing steadily, and she was too drugged most of the time to tell if there was anything resulting from them.

Ethan sauntered into the room after yet another liquid injection session. He seemed to be doing much better lately, and no longer returned from the treatments looking ill. Crossing the room, he sat down on his bed with a triumphant grin on his face.

At Rhianna's questioning look, he said, "Half a year an' da fuggers still got nuttin'." His grin seemed to widen as she shook her head with a smile. "How 'bout you?" he asked.

She frowned thoughtfully. "I don't really know," she murmured, trying to remember the fuzzy moments following treatments. "They say a lot of stuff, but it doesn't make sense to me," she admitted.

"Like?" the man prompted. When she only shrugged, he nodded. "Yea," he agreed, "dey use all kinds a' stupid words."

Rhi only sighed, wondering if the _scientists_ even knew what they meant. Maybe they were just tossing around a bunch of words that sounded good. It just seemed like a load of made-up crap to her.

Ethan punched the bunk above him, causing her to jump. "Hey, Riceball," he called out, "you up?"

A few coughs came from the top bunk. After a moment or two, a familiar voice responded, "Yeah." The tone implied that he was actually saying something more like, "_Now_ I am."

"What'd dey stick ya with t'day?" Ethan inquired, ignoring the foreigner's tone.

Takeru sat up, ducking off the ceiling. "Let's see," he said, mentally compiling a list. "A somewhat lengthy vapor treatment, and about thirteen shots." The man sighed. "Might as well be on heroin."

"I guess... err..." Rhianna trailed off. She had wanted to say something encouraging, but nothing came to mind. The girl hated it as much as Takeru did.

Ethan shook his head. "We need anudder fuggin' breakout attempt," he concluded. The statement earned him blank looks from his companions.

"If you're taking volunteers," Takeru warned, "you can count me out. _Kichigai_." He looked away from Ethan, running a hand through his hair. Before either Rhi or Ethan could respond, he began choking on another fit of hacking coughs.

Ethan scowled. "Yer gettin' out whedder ya like it'r not," he informed Takeru. "Dis shit is killin' ya." After a moment of silence, he added, "'Sides... I got a plan dis time."

That seemed to get Takeru's attention. He leaned over the side of his bunk just a bit. "A plan?" he asked warily, sounding hoarse.

Ethan nodded. "Can't get everyone out, but I can get us out," he went on, keeping his voice low.

"How?" Rhianna asked.

"Ears says dere's another exhibition comin' up," Ethan began. When Takeru groaned in response, he went on quickly. "No... we'll work it to our advantage."

Rhianna leaned against one of the posts of her bed, waiting for Ethan to elaborate. Her attention wandered, as it was prone to do, but her mind focused carefully on him. She listened as he began to speak again, eyes flitting about the room.

"We all know dey'll toss Riceball out," Ethan said. "Yer becomin' our poster child." Takeru laughed and coughed at the same time, which resulted in a rather sickening sound. "I'll get Mouth workin' on plantin' da idea a' you versus me," Ethan went on. "Dat bastard doc'll love da idea a' seein' my worst nightmare. Dat's when we'll make a run for it."

Rhianna barely heard Takeru asking Ethan what he was afraid of as she traced a finger along the wall. Her eyes grew wide as it met with a shadow and seemed to disappear into it. She drew her hand back immediately, trembling a little.

When she looked at Ethan, he was staring at her. Takeru looked bewildered, having missed what had just occurred. Ethan leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Try that again," he told her slowly. "But don't be obvious about it."

Nodding, Rhianna took a quick, nervous look around. When she was certain no one was watching, she placed her hand on the bed's shadow again. Attempting to look casual, she struggled to remember how she had done that. Rather suddenly, her hand disappeared into the shadow.

"Dat," Ethan murmured, "was frickin' awesome." He put a hand to his mouth, thinking. "An' makes things a helluva lot easier."

Takeru snapped out of his awe long enough to ask what Ethan meant. He was still staring at Rhi as she pulled her hand back. She looked at it for a moment, then at Ethan.

He was still thinking. "Rhi," he started, looking at her, "think ya could do dat wit yer whole body?"

Rhianna frowned. "I dunno," she said hesitantly. "Until a couple of minutes ago, I didn't know I could do it at all."

Ethan gave a small nod. "After lights out... practice," he instructed. "If ya can, ride my shadow inta da arena an' hide dere 'til me an' Riceball make a break for it."

She nodded, hoping she could manage. It all seemed rather sudden. More than anything, though, she wondered how long she had been able to do this.

"So when is this little funfest taking place?" Takeru spoke up. "Any idea?"

"Coupl'a days," Ethan responded. "Just enough time for Mouth ta do his thing." He seemed perfectly calm about the entire plan, as if there was no chance of it failing.

"Sounds good," Rhi spoke up. In spite of her misgivings, she could not help but be influenced by Ethan's confidence. It made it easy to trust him.

Takeru was less certain. "You never answered my question," he pointed out almost accusingly. "You had better not be scared of something really stupid." His voice betrayed his anxiety.

"Don't worry about it," was all Ethan said. Before Takeru could object or demand any answers, he lay back on his cot. Sighing, he put his hands behind his head. It seemed the conversation was over.

"Now we wait."

Three days passed. Amid painful tests and restless sleep, Rhianna did her best to master her newfound abilities. While her companions in D Bunk were sleeping, she was taking advantage of the numerous shadows contained in the darkness. By the time the exhibition came, she had become reasonably skilled at it. Unfortunately, when the day finally arrived, she was a bundle of nerves as the gaurds ushered everyone into the viewing room.

Ethan stood in front of the window, watching Takeru torment a random gaurd. No cocky grin graced his features. The only emotion he showed was when he glanced toward Rhianna, then flitted his eyes toward a nearby, empty corner. She only smiled, not daring to nod.

With everyone milling around and trying to get settled, it was fairly easy for the two of them to slip into the corner. Ethan turned to face away from it and crossed his arms, blocking her from view. Exhaling slowly, Rhianna took just a moment to calm down before sinking into his shadow.

Once on the other side, Rhianna was greeted by a miriad of changes. She was standing right where she had been, but the colors were sharp, some completely inverted. Quickly, she took hold of Ethan's arm, afraid of losing contact with him somehow. Horror epitomized her feelings as everything around disappeared. Terrified, she closed her eyes, hoping it would rectify whatever problem had occurred, and when she opened them again, she found she was seeing through Ethan's rather than her own. While seemingly effective, she had no idea what was happening, or how she was pulling it off.

"Dat feels... weird," Ethan muttered.

Rhianna responded without thinking. "Sorry," she said, but the sound came through as only a faint echo in his mind. She could tell he had to exert great effort not to jump out of his skin. The girl decided it best to resist the compulsion to apologize again. It had been a strange feeling reaching out to his mind, and had left her feeling confused and drained.

Conveniently, it was at this moment that one of the larger gaurds tromped in and took hold of Ethan. It seemed, as he (and his hitchhiker) were dragged down the hallway, that Mouth's subliminal messages had worked like a charm. The stocky New Yorker was shoved out into the arena with the much smaller Japanese man.

Ethan sighed. "Here we go..."

Takeru was standing near the center of the arena with his eyes closed. If looking relaxed and confident was his goal, then he was certainly succeeding. Only the smallest twitching of the corner of his mouth gave him away as Ethan strode to join him.

"Either of you bring dis up after today, I'm knocking your heads in, got it?" Ethan warned. Rhianna let it be assumed she did. Takeru sighed and responded to the affirmative. After an awkward moment, Ethan went on, "Den open yer eyes and let's get dis over wit, Riceball."

Still hesitant, Takeru opened one eye a crack. He studied Ethan for a moment before speaking up. "Is this going to be something stupid?"

"Shaddup and do it," Ethan said irritably.

Conceding, the foreigner opened his eyes to meet Ethan's gaze. His transformation proceeded in much the same way, but this time the result was turning out to be much larger. The giant monster growled out a curse as its head made rather harsh contact with the ceiling. Rhianna could not believe what she was seeing.

Godzilla. Toho frickin' guy-in-a-rubber-suit Godzilla.

"NOW!" Ethan roared, destroying any chance for reflection. He was shaking, either from fear or anticipation as he latched on to the sea monster's leg. "BUST DA FUCKIN' THING OPEN!"

Takeru-zilla wasted no time in using his monstrous claws to rip open the ceiling. Pandemonium erupted as the gaurds caught on to what was happening, but it was too late. The asian lizard beast ignored the bullets ricocheting off its hide as it smashed its way out of the building. Dirt came crashing down on them, but Takeru-zilla took hold of Ethan and Rhianna protectively and just tunneled upward.

Suddenly, they broke through the surface. Scrambling out of the enormous hole he had created, the lizard took several massive steps as his form began to wear off. Moments later, it had dissipated completely, leaving Takeru shoving his sunglasses rather forcibly onto his face.

"No stoppin' yet," Ethan called out. "Run like dere's a sale on rice, damn it!" He was already hauling ass across the open desert. Rhianna was still hitching a ride from him, safe in his shadow.

"Prejudiced asshole!" Takeru shouted, chasing after him. Though not as fast as Ethan, he was indeed rather quick on his feet. His physical state of health seemed to be bearing down on the fact, however.

Ethan grinned. "Y'know, if I ever see da fuggers again, I'm gonna have ta thank 'em! Never coulda run like dis wit'out da bullshit dey put us through!" It was hard to tell if he was being facecious or not. His expression changed as Takeru tried to laugh, but lacked the breath. "Ya okay over dere, Riceball? Thought you guys were good at runnin' fer borders'n stuff."

"If you're going to be a bigot," Takeru complained between gasps for air, "at least get it right. Do I look like a Mexican? All I'm good at is picking rice!"

Ethan emitted a hearty laugh, but it was interrupted by Rhianna's quiet voice.

"_Is this a bad time to ask where we're going?_" she questioned. It was all well and good that they had made it out, but they had no idea where they were, much less what they were going to do.

"How does 'as far away from here as possible' sound?" Ethan responded. When Takeru shot him a confused look, he explained. "Sorry... she can talk to me. S'weird."

The only reply was a disconcerted wheeze from the foreigner. They ran for a few more moments until the trio spotted buildings looming in the distance ahead of them. They appeared to be under construction, but the equipment was sitting abandoned for the moment. The group had almost reached the site when Rhianna rather suddenly materialized and tumbled backwards, bouncing along the dusty ground. Clearly, exiting a shadow when it was running at full speed was a bad idea.

Ethan skidded to a halt and doubled back to her. "Are ya alright!?" he asked, offering her a hand.

"Yeah..." she murmured, putting a hand to her head and allowing him to help her to her feet. "I just couldn't hold it anymore, I guess."

He only nodded. "Ya made it dis far. I'm pretty impressed." Turning, he motioned for her to follow. "C'mon. We can hide in dat construction site. Dey'll send out choppers or sommin soon."

Takeru had stopped just ahead of them and was taking the opportunity to cough up a lung. They found him doubled over with his hands on his knees, choking. Wiping a hand across his mouth, he straightened and exhaled sowly. Far away, lights were spreading across the sky.

"We should hurry," he said quietly.

"Can ya make it?" Ethan asked.

"No choice, is there?" came the response.

Ethan directed the same question to Rhianna, who was busy dusting herself off. "I'll be fine," she assured him.

That settled, the trio once again burst into a sprint. The site grew ever nearer, until, finally, they found themselves weaving between the huge pieces of machinery. All three dove into the protective cover of the partially finished buildings, trying to catch their breath. Takeru was the worst off, his breathing so labored it was like he was having some kind of an asthma attack. Thankfully, it died down after a minute or two and each fell silent, listening uneasily.

The _thock, thock, thock_ of an approaching helicopter grew closer. Ethan tightened his fists. "Shit..."

"What should we do?" Takeru asked as quietly as he could.

Ethan shushed him. "Just... pray..."

Takeru closed his eyes and listened as the sound grew louder and louder. Rhianna hugged her knees, trying not to betray her fear. The helicopter continued its advance, until it was in sight of the escapees.

"Damn it," Ethan breathed. "Dere was no point..." He pointed to his sleeve. "Look." As the two of them leaned over, they found they could see a small, flashing light. "Bet my ass it's a homing beacon," he said.

Despair settled itself in the pit of Rhianna's stomach. They had come so far. She refused to believe it was over. "So that's it, then?" she demanded.

Ethan took hold of both of their sleeves and smashed the homing devices in them. "You two can still run," he replied. "I'll distract 'em."

Takeru was dumbfounded. "Are you kidding?" Ethan assured him he was not.

"They'll... they'll probably kill you, though," Rhianna said, a hint of fear in her voice. There was no way she was going to leave him behind.

"S'alright," Ethan said, getting to his feet. "One life for two. I got nuttin' left, anyways." Outside they could hear the chopper landing, joined with the sounds of guns cocking.

A voice came over a loudspeaker. "We know you're in there! Come out now!"

"Let me stay," Takeru argued with Ethan. "I might actually stand a chance."

Ethan merely shook his head. "Both a' you can still pass as normal people... and Rhi, ya can hide now, better'n anyone. Me... I'm still normal... still useless. Dey might take me alive ta find out why I can resist. Dey'll take you two apart ta learn da formula for yer powers." When he turned to them, his expression was almost pleading. "So, go... please."

Takeru stared at him silently for a few moments, indecision clouding his thoughts. On the one hand, Ethan had become essentially his best friend over the past months. He would rather die than leave him there alone. On the other hand, the man was probably right. Finally, he exhaled lowly and gave a helpless shrug. What could they do? Ethan was as stubborn as he was strong.

"I guess..." Rhi hesitated, her voice wavering. "I guess we don't have much of a choice."


	6. Chapter 6

No sooner had the words escaped Rhianna's mouth, Ethan was sprinting out the doorway. She started after him, but Takeru took hold of her arm and shook his head slightly. Biting her lip, she gave a small nod.

"Over here, fuckers!"

"There's one! Open fire, but don't kill it!"

"Come on," Takeru said softly, heading in the direction opposite of the way Ethan had gone. Rhianna gave a last despairing look back before following. The two kept low, trying to stay out of sight as the sounds of gunshots rang in their ears.

"Where're the other ones?"

"It's probably a distraction! Circle around back and cut 'em off!"

"_Shimatta!_" Takeru hissed, taking off in a sprint. "_Hayaku!_" he urged Rhianna, apparently losing his grasp on the English language in his haste. Although she had no idea what any of that meant, she took the hint and ran after him. There was still a chance they could—

"Found 'em," a soldier said, grinning. The pair stopped dead in their tracks upon seeing the man had his gun trained on them. Takeru put his hands up very slowly, Rhianna taking refuge behind him. The soldier gestured with the barrel of his gun. "Move it... and no funny stuff. You take those glasses off and you'll lose your eyes, got it?"

Resisting the urge to spit at the man, Takeru did as he was told, but not without uttering an obscene name under his breath. Rhianna followed along quietly, head down. He looked at her for a moment, narrowing his eyes in thought. There had to be a way out of this. Nearby, the sound of gunshots could still be heard.

"Over here, you shits!"

"Jesus, he's fast!"

"Super speed?"

"Nah, that's Ethan. They make him dodge grenades and shit."

"We've got your friends!" the last voice pierced through the air. "Stop or they die!"

Grimacing, Ethan came to a halt. The soldiers were all distracted as one called out that they had been sent reinforcements. Every eye moved upward steadily to the enormous metal object. It appeared to be some kind of robot, but whatever it was, it was bad news for the fugitives.

"Can I play with it?" one of the soldiers asked excitedly.

"Smith, you're such a child..." his commanding officer sighed. "We have to take them back alive," he reminded the man.

"Why?" Smith asked. "They're just gonna be dissected."

There was a long moment of silence, during which both Rhianna and Takeru held their breath. Finally, the officer shrugged. "I suppose."

"Yes!" the soldier cried gleefully, running to climb into the mecha. "Thank you, sir! I've always wanted to try one of these!"

Ethan sidled over to his companions, eyes fixed on the robot. "We are so fuckin' screwed..."

"What are we going to do?" Rhianna asked fearfully. Ethan had been the leader since the start, and hearing his resigned statement filled her with dread. She turned her dismayed gaze to Takeru, praying that he would at least offer _some_ hope.

The Japanese man noticed her look and sighed. "What are we going to do?" he repeated. "Die, probably."

So much for hope. The three turned to look back at the robot as it made its way toward them. Each mechanical step resounded in the ensuing silence. _Chung. Chung. Chung._ Each earth-crashing motion brought them closer to their doom.

Ethan turned to Takeru. "Riceball... 's been fun." Moving his gaze to Rhianna, he added, "It was nice meetin' ya."

"Say your prayers," the soldier declared from within the robot.

Ethan scowled. "You sadistic piece of shit," he growled, taking a step forward. Both of his companions stared at him, dumbstruck. The mecha looked at him in much the same way. "Y'know... I'm fuggin' sick a' you military bastards. Ya put us through hell, ya treat us like labrats... an' den ya expect us to work fer ya!? SCREW. YOU." Before Rhianna or Takeru could stop him, the man had lunged straight at the cockpit.

"Shit—ETHAN! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU—" Takeru stopped short as Ethan was batted aside like a pesky insect, landing in a nearby pile of equipment and machinery. Rhianna cried out and tried to go after her friend, but was blocked by the soldiers. Takeru's eyes were fixed on where Ethan had landed.

The soldier inside the mecha laughed. "He really _was_ useless, wasn't he? Now, where were we..." The robot turned back toward the two that remained. "Ah, yes, pummeling."

Rhianna stared up at the giant machine, tears welling in her eyes. "This whole operation makes me sick!" she shouted, fury mingling with anguish in her voice. "How can you do this!?" she demanded.

"I'm a soldier. I follow orders. It's what I do." As though that were enough explanation for his actions, the soldier raised the machine's big metal fist, ready to swing down at her.

Rhianna squeezed her eyes shut, covering her head with her arms. It was over. Everything they had done up until this point was completely pointless. They _were_ going to die.

She waited for what seemed like hours, but the blow never fell. Suddenly, she heard the distinct whine of gears, which prompted her to peek out uncertainly. The fist had stopped just above her head, but there was a thick cable wrapped around it, holding it in place. Trembling, she lowered her arms, eyes following the taut cable's path to the side.

There, silhouetted by the rising sun, a strange mechanical being stood mounted on the pile of equipment and machinery. Its left arm was a winch, the cable of which was holding the giant machine at bay. The right arm was composed of a jackhammer. Steel plates jutted out all over the creature's body like armor, metal fused with flesh. As Rhianna's eyes moved upward to the being's face, her heart lurched within her chest.

_Ethan!_

"_M... masaka!_" Takeru breathed beside her.

"I'm from da Bronx," came the familiar voice. "I kick ass. It's what I do." Raising his winch arm, Ethan whipped the cord downward, sending the mecha into the air with a pained hiss of hydraulics.

The makeshift audience of soldiers and fugitives stood motionless, stunned by what they were seeing. Using the winch, Ethan reeled himself right up to the mech, jamming his jackhammer right-arm into it. It whirred to life, and the man used it to hammer off all of the mecha's appendages. The soldier went flying from the robot as it hit the ground with a deafening crash. Towering over the destroyed mech, Ethan reeled the winch cord in and whipped it at the remaining soldiers, knocking them out with the steel hook at the end.

The jackhammer clattered to the ground, revealing grenades fused to Ethan's arm. Breathing heavily, he tore them off and pulled the pins, lobbing them into the helicopter. Whirling around, he turned to the gaping Rhianna and Takeru.

"Stop gawkin' an' RUN!" he bellowed, bolting. He left behind a metal plate, which clattered to the dusty earth unnoticed.

Spurred to action, the pair quickly shook off their shock and raced after him. They rapidly passed the encumbered Ethan as several more plates dropped off of him. The winch fell to the ground with a _thud_, abandoned. Finally free of his metallic burdens, he was able to catch up with his companions.

Behind them, the grenades went off with a thunderous explosion. Rhianna's nearly lost her footing, but was rescued by Ethan's steadying hand. Takeru glanced back just enough to see the fiery debris of the helicopter raining from the sky.

Without another thought, they ran. They had no idea where their desperate sprint would carry them, only that it would be somewhere far from the threat behind them. It was only a matter of time before another force was sent to secure them. The terrain ahead changed from rocky, harsh desert, to shifting sand dunes. Exhausted, the trio took refuge behind one of the dunes, out of the line of sight from the direction they had just come.

Gasping for air, Rhianna fell back against the sand. Ethan dropped to the ground, leaning back on his hands and breathing heavily. Takeru doubled over nearby, siezed by another coughing fit. His hands were clenched so hard on his knees that all color had fled from the knuckles. He could hardly answer when Ethan inquired to if he was alright. After what seemed like ages, he sank to the ground and lay on his back, arms outstretched. His breathing evened out, as Rhianna and Ethan's had moments ago.

"Y'want dat lung back?" Ethan asked weakly. Takeru's feeble laugh was his only response. "Any sign of it, Rhi? All I see is sand..." When she only smiled at him and shook her head, he chuckled. "Anybody got bread? I'll make sandwiches." The pun was not met with too much enthusiasm by his companions. Shifting to sit up more, he changed the topic. "Anybody... have any clue... where da fuck we are?"

Rhianna shook her head. Her best guess was the western United States. She had never seen a place like this before.

Takeru emitted a wheezy laugh. "Well... I can guess that we're NOT anywhere near an ocean," he commented.

"Thanks, Sherlock. Yer deductive skills as always, amaze me," Ethan said sarcastically, tossing a handfull of sand at his smartass companion.

"Hey," Takeru interjected as he held up an arm in defense. "Give me a break. I haven't seen much of America."

Ethan shook his head. "Yea... yea... waiter... check, please," he mumbled, teetering slightly before abruptly passing out.

Rhianna looked at her unconcious companion for a moment before averting her gaze to Takeru. Sighing quietly, she got to her feet. "We should find some shade."


	7. Chapter 7

Takeru stretched out his legs, peering around the small desert cave he and Rhianna had found for refuge. Ethan was propped up against the cold stone wall across from him, still unconcious, and Rhianna was curled up on the dusty floor, asleep. The foreigner was currently playing the part of the lookout, with his sunglasses resting atop his head. Caramel eyes passed over the sparse scenery of the cave, then over Ethan. He looked no worse for the wear, other than the sorry state of his jumpsuit. Various holes and tears had been added to its composition, likely from the strange mechanical fusion the man had pulled off earlier.

Takeru was steadily becoming aware of just how tired he was. Adrenaline had pushed from his mind the fact that he had made an extensive use of his powers, as well as run across the desert, then spent time dragging his large male companion about the shifting terrain in search of shelter. Normally the first would have been sufficient enough to drain him, but he was thankful that both he and Ethan had not lost their hold on conciousness. Rhianna likely could not have managed by herself, especially not with the two of them as dead weight. Either way, though, the man found himself to be utterly spent.

Every muscle in his body tensed at the sound of nearby movement, but he relaxed as he realized that it was only Ethan stirring. Slipping the sunglasses back over his eyes, Takeru leaned forward slightly. It was difficult to see in the dim light of the paltry cavern, but the late morning light filtering in from outside helped. They had only been in the cave for about an hour by Takeru's estimation.

Ethan struggled for a moment to regain control of his incompliant body. His sharp emerald gaze cut across the cavity to look at Takeru, taking in the man's exhausted appearance. Finally managing to sit up a bit more, he nodded to Takeru.

"Get some rest, Riceball."

Relief flooded Takeru's mind and he sank back, closing his eyes. For the first time in hours, the tension in his body was alleviated, allowing his aching muscles some relief. Not a full moment later he dozed off.

Averting his eyes from Takeru, Ethan glanced over to Rhianna's dormant form. The girl seemed to be sleeping quite soundly. Other than a few scrapes and bruises acquired from the moment she lost hold on his shadow, her small body was basically unharmed. An unwitting smile crossed his face, though whether it was from the mitigation of his worry or something else he did not care to think.

Deterring both his gaze and his thoughts, Ethan turned his attention to what was left of his jumpsuit. He had smashed the homing devices on both Rhianna and Takeru's suits, but he had not given that consideration to his own. Fortunately, it seemed that any trace of the device had been destroyed when he fused the jackhammer to his arm.

Giving another glance at his slumbering companions, the man got to his feet. He felt sturdy enough, now. Turning toward the mouth of the cave, he stepped lightly outside. It was time for a little reconnaissance.

Time passed in his absence, and eventually Rhianna came to. It took her a moment to remember where she was as she pushed herself into a sitting position and looked around. Her eyes flitted to rest on Takeru, and after a moment, she reached out to shake him gently. He groaned, turning his head toward her.

"Where's Ethan?" she asked softly. A groggy, noncommittal noise from the man was her only response. She frowned, combing through her hair with her fingers.

Both of them froze as the sound of echoing footsteps met their ears. Sharing an anxious glance, each turned to look toward the entrance of the cave. Takeru slid his glasses down to better his vision, waiting breathlessly.

The pair let out a sigh of relief when it was Ethan who came into view. Sweat beaded on the man's faintly sunburned skin, and the sand caking his body made it clear he had been walking about outside for sometime. Seeing the looks they were giving them, the man only shrugged.

"Someone had ta' figger out where da hell we are..."

Takeru got to his feet, dusting himself off. "And did you figure it out?" he inquired.

"Yeah," Ethan responded. He hesitated a moment before continuing. "We're about an hour's walk outside a' fuggin' Roswell."

"New Mexico?" Rhianna inquired dumbly. Her mind could hardly wrap around the fact that she was so far from home.

Spotting her expression, Ethan nodded. "Yeah. Not exactly my backyard, either." After a moment he added, "Y'ever remember where da hell they nabbed ya from?"

"Yes," she replied. Truth be told, she had remembered quite some time ago, but had never thought it necessary to share. "Way up north... Albany."

The man gave her an incredulous look. "You're from New York, too?" When the question was met with a small smile, he chuckled. "Small world... dey must have a grudge against da Yankees'r summin'." Moving on to the next topic, he motioned outside. "Anyway, da sun's startin' ta go down, an' it's a little cooler. If we go now, we should make it dere a little after sunset."

"Where are we going to go?" Rhianna asked uncertainly. Escaping was all well and good, but they were a long way from any of their homes, with no mode of transportation other than their feet.

"No idea," Ethan admitted. "We'll have ta wing it. First priority's gettin' some friggin' normal clothes."

Rhi nodded. "I'm all for that one." It was a vague plan, but at least it gave them some direction.

"Er," Takeru broke in, "I don't know about you two, but I'm a little short of money."

"I got da universal currency right 'ere," Ethan stated with a grin, holding up his fist. "Hell!" he exclaimed, "we're already wanted. Might as well add theft."

Though he looked less than convinced, Takeru shrugged. "I guess so."

"C'mon," Ethan urged the two of them, heading back toward the mouth of the cave. "Oh," he added as they joined him, "watch out fer snakes." He reached down to pick up a big stick on their way out, Rhianna considerably paler as she and Takeru trailed along behind.

The trio trudged onward as the sun set, not saying much. They had plenty on their minds to occupy them on their trek without conversing. The night was just beginning to darken when they spotted the lights of a town looming in the distance.

"What's that?" Rhianna asked, looking to Ethan.

"Roswell," he responded, affirming her thoughts. "We'll have ta hide out for a little longer... wait 'til everyone's asleep." He paused to think. "See if we can find a thrift store or sommin'."

"Sounds like a good plan," Takeru agreed.

Rhianna cocked her head to the side. "I'll go see if I can find a store...?" she suggested.

"Good idea," Ethan said, nodding. "Jus' don't fall out," he added. His tone made it impossible for her to tell if he was simply warning her, or if the statement contained a hint of teasing as well.

"I won't," she replied indignantly. "Be back soon." The girl sank into the nearest shadow and headed for the town, determined to scope out the situation for her companions.

Takeru and Ethan settled in to wait. Upon her return, the two men were entertaining themselves by playing a game of tic-tac-toe in the sand. She slipped out of the shadow of a nearby cactus and stood for a moment, unnoticed.

"Boo," she said, finally.

Takeru flinched visibly. Ethan leapt to his feet and whirled around, brandishing the stick he'd picked up earlier. Rhianna held up her hands in defense, crying out.

"Don't hurt me! It's me! It's me!"

Ethan was furious. "Y'can't do dat shit, Rhi! We're escaped lab experiments, but more'n dat, I'm from da fuggin' Bronx!" he snapped.

"Sorry," Rhianna said quietly, shrinking back. She sank to seat herself on the ground.

"God," Ethan breathed, sifting his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry, Rhi..."

She shook her head. "It's okay," she assured him. "You were right."

"I shouldn't 'a bit yer head off," he said, his voice growing calmer. "But yer lucky dey took my piece when I was nabbed... otherwise we'd be lookin' fer a hospital, too." Sighing, he returned his attention to the matter at hand. "So what'd ya dig up?"

Taking a deep breath, Rhianna willed her voice not to shake as she related what she had seen. "There's a Goodwill pretty close... I saw a grocery store, and several convenience stores, too." Her stomach was happy to remind her just how hungry she was as she spoke.

"Well," Ethan commented once she was finished, "breakin' inta da goodwill... while ironic... shouldn't be too hard." He crossed his arms. "We'll haffta do some shoplifting, 'cause a grocery store'd be too difficult." The man's green eyes darkened in thought. "Hey, Rhi..." At her questioning look, he asked, "D'ya think ya could put other things 'sides yerself in shadows?"

She thought about that for a moment. "Well... I dunno..." It was plausible, but she felt rather uncertain about it. "Maybe," she concluded.

"I'm thinkin' so," Ethan said, "'cause when ya slipped in an' outta my shadow ya didn't lose yer jumpsuit'r anythin'..."

Rhianna nodded. "I was thinking about that, but..." The girl crossed her arms, carefully considering the scenario. "The jumpsuit was exposed to the same stuff I was..."

Takeru listened to the pair, growing tired of the debate. Slipping his sunglasses off, he placed a hand over his eyes and held them out to Rhianna. Seeing this, Ethan quickly turned his back to Takeru, claiming it was "just to be safe." Taking the sunglasses gingerly, Rhianna looked them over for a moment and got to her feet before stepping onto the nearest shadow and dropping through it.

No sooner than she had gotten to the other side, fatigue hit her with surprising strength. The girl staggered slightly as some unseen force seemed to suck the energy right from her body. Panicking, she shifted back and offered the glasses to Takeru with a shaky hand.

Ethan turned around once Takeru had the sunglasses back on and looked at her for a moment. "Y'alright?" he inquired.

A small nod was her only response for a moment. Taking a deep breath, she placed a hand on her face and tried to coerce the world to stop spinning. "That... took a lot more energy that normal..."

"Alright," Ethan said. "We'll rule dat out fer t'nite, den. Looks like I'll haffta get crafty." The man transferred his gaze to the town. "Lights're goin' out. Everyone must be hittin' da hay." Turning back to his companions, he nodded toward Roswell. "Let's get movin'. I wanna sleep sometime t'nite."

The three of them set off, once again lapsing into silence. Their vantage point had been a little ways out of town, and by the time they reached it, darkness had set in completely and all was quiet. When Takeru's sunglasses caused him to stumble, Ethan offered the branch he was still toting.

"Do I get to pretend to be blind?" Takeru asked jokingly as he took hold of it and allowed himself to be guided along.

Rhianna giggled. "Pretend?" she shot back.

Ethan started to chuckle, then stopped abruptly. "Hey," he began, his voice taking on an astute tone, "dat could work." He grinned. "Most 24-hour stores only staff one guy at night. Wit' your hack, ya could pass as a smoker. Keep him or her occupied tellin' ya what brands dey got while Rhi an' I fill our pockets."

"Alright," Takeru agreed.

"So work up some good ones!" Rhianna instructed. He gave a half-hearted cough, which prompted her to shake her head in disappointment. "A-!" she announced.

Ethan seemed disillusioned by their antics. "We don't want 'im dyin' on us. Save 'em," he expressed plainly. "So where's dis Goodwill at?"

Takeru and Ethan followed as their petite female companion led the way. In a matter of minutes she had guided them safely and quickly to their destination, a dingy old Goodwill that had probably seen better days. The man from the Bronx immediately began giving the door severe scrutiny.

"No visible alarms," he murmured, more to himself than either of his comrades. His analytical gaze worked its way up the building before coming to a stop. "A cracked open window," he uttered with a grin. "Lucky us."

Rhianna looked at Takeru, her chest contracting at the realization of what they were about to do. The girl had never broken into a place before, and she had only stolen something once. Even then the guilt of it had caused her to admit her wrongdoing. An act of this nature was completely beyond her ken. Turning back to Ethan, she spoke up uncertainly. "What do you want us to do?"

"Come wit' me," he said simply. "Someone standin' outside'd be suspicious... 'sides, the window's too high for me ta climb to." He took his eyes from the building to turn them on her. "Gonna haffta boost someone, an' yer da lightest, Rhi."

"I can get in without going through the window," she objected.

Ethan shook his head. "Yer drained as is. God only knows how long it'll take fer ya ta get back up ta full, an' right now yer power's da most useful."

Rhianna had little choice but to acquiesce. "Alright," she surrendered, "gimme a boost."

Ethan hoisted her up with no trouble at all. "Man," he said, "yer light."

Reaching out her hands for the windowsill, Rhianna turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. She decided she might as well take the statement as a compliment. "Thanks."

"Wasn't technically a compliment," Ethan replied, "but yer welcome." He chuckled. "Jus' remind me ta tie ya down in a strong wind." Her only response was a giggle as she pulled herself up and slid through the window into the building.

"She's light," Takeru jibed, "and you could armwrestle the Thing."

"Nah," Ethan waved it off, "Ben was a champ."

Takeru was about to respond, but was interrupted as Rhianna unlocked the door and opened it for them. Thanking her, Ethan walked past Takeru to head inside. Shaking his head, the foreigner followed. All three spread out to rummage for suitable clothing.

"Hey, Rhi," Ethan said suddenly. "I've got a crazy idea." When she looked at him questioningly, he held up a maternity shirt and a bike helmet. "Ever fancy yourself a mother-to-be?" he asked with a charming grin.

As the urge to give him a strange look passed, she shot him a sweet smile. "Well, of course, honey." The words earned a rousing hack from Takeru.

Ethan laughed. "Now dat's da kind'a cough we need!" Sobering up, he went on to explain his reasoning. "Seriously dough... some light clothes underneat', we could slip food down inta da helmet, s'long as it's nuttin' rattley, an' make up some lame excuse fer leavin'."

Rhianna nodded. It made sense, she supposed. In the least, she hadn't come up with any better ideas.

"Alright," Ethan said, settling the matter. "See if ya can dig up like... bike shorts an' a sports bra. I gotta find summin' ta secure dis stuff in place wit'..." That said, he returned to scouring the clothing racks.

Takeru had moved his glasses out of the way of his eyes and was already changed into jeans and a black t-shirt. He searched the area for security cameras as he picked up a cane to serve as a more believable walking stick. There were no cameras that he could see, but when his eyes met with the oddly shiny ceiling, confusion filled him. He abruptly realized it had been covered with tin foil, and quickly slid his glasses back over his eyes upon seeing his own reflection. "You guys almost done?" he asked.

Rhianna popped up from behind a clothing rack, wearing a light blue tank top. "Yeah," she responded.

Ethan had thrown on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt as well. The man had managed to locate a boxcutter and was disassembling a swimsuit as the pair exchanged their quick words. "Got everythin'?" he asked Rhi. When she responded to the affirmative, he cleared the distance between them. "Alright," he said, placing a small folded blanket against her stomach, "hold dis in place fer a sec."

Placing the purse she had picked up nearby, she did as she was told and watched as he reached for the helmet. It had been lined with a blanket as well, likely to keep things from making noise once placed inside. Taking hold of it, he placed it visor up against the blanket she was holding.

"Now hold dat, please," he requested. When she had secured the helmet, he stretched the strip of swimsuit cloth he'd been cutting earlier around her waist and secured it with a few safety pins. "Alright," he said, "now for da finishin' touch. Arms up."

Rhianna raised her arms over her head and allowed Ethan to slip the maternity dress onto her. Her face colored with unprecedented embarrassment as she felt his large hands brush against her neck, doing up the buttons in the back. She felt relieved when he stepped away from her to survey his handiwork.

"Dere," he declared. "Wha'dya tink, Riceball?" he asked.

Takeru turned to peer over the top of his glasses at Rhianna. After a moment, he shrugged. "Looks right to me."

"What about you, Rhi?" Ethan questioned.

She gave him a thumbs up before attempting to move around. "Good," she commented, "it should stay okay." The bashful tint returned to her face as she asked, "Did it look weird?"

"As in?" the man countered.

"Well," she said thoughtfully, "did it look... _normal_?"

"Pretty much," Ethan assured her. "I'd suggest keepin' yer hands on it ta keep it from movin' too much, jus' in case." He paused. "Tink ya can manage a waddle?"

Giving it a try, she looked at the man for approval. After a few more moments of critiquing and polishing up her act, Takeru tapped his new cane on the floor impatiently. He could hardly see, but his eyes kept flitting instinctively toward the door.

"Something tells me there are better places to go about this," he reproached.

"Yeah," Ethan agreed. "We should get movin'. C'mon dear," he said to Rhi with a grin. "Let's go satisfy dat cravin'." Chuckling, he placed an arm around her shoulders. He missed her incoherent smile as he turned his gaze on Takeru. "Wait a few minutes 'til after we've gone in, den stall fer a little after we leave. Less suspicious dat way."

"Alright," Takeru said, adjusting his glasses.

"C'mon, honey," Ethan said, smirking down at Rhianna.

She had to resist the urge to remove that smug look from his face, smiling sweetly in response. "Mmk, pumpkin," she assented.

Ethan led the way, making sure the coast was clear before sneaking out of the store with his mock preggo and blind man in tow. "Alright," he said to Takeru as they began making their way down the street, "time ta space it out a little. Slow it down some, Tak. Remember, yer blind."

When the man fell back obediently and began tapping his way along, Ethan slipped an arm around Rhianna's waist. "Y'know," he said, the smirk returning to his face, "you look pretty cute."

Rhianna shot him a look. "Hmm. In order to be cute I have to get pregnant," she lamented. "I'll remember that one."

He chuckled. "Goin' hormonal on me already?" When she only grinned, he went on, "You know what I meant." Pointing to a building discreetly, he asked, "Dat it?"

She nodded, and Ethan put on his best smile, opening the door for her. As she passed him to head inside, he leaned down to steal a kiss from her. She could feel her face and ears burning with surprise at the action as he followed her inside. The girl struggled not to look as abashed as she felt.

"Good—" the man behind the counter paused as he lifted his gaze to them. Rhianna couldn't blame him. They had to look odd as a couple. "...evening," he finished finally. "Can I help you find anything tonight?"

"Nah," Ethan responded liesurely. "We're just here for a few tings. Cravings, y'know?" He looped his arm around his faux wife's waist again. The color refusing to leave her face, Rhianna could only nod and give a shy smile.

The man just chuckled. "Alright. Let me know if you can't find anything."

"Will do," Ethan said good-naturedly. He led his small companion down one of the aisles, looking around. "Good, no mirrors," he spoke quietly, surprising Rhianna. "Da only cameras're trained on da door an' da counter. Looks like dey're more worried about internal theft." He looked absolutely placid in spite of his words. "Let's get movin'. Da less perishable, da better."

She smiled, nodding, as if they were talking about something absolutely normal, like what color they were going to paint the baby's room. The corner of her mouth twitched in amusement, and she tried her best not to dwell on that thought. Ethan quickly began taking energy bars and the like off of the shelves and handing them back to her. As she craftily slipped them into the bike helmet, there was a dinging noise at the door. Takeru shuffled in, tapping the ground in front of him.

The man at the counter watched him for a moment. "...good evening, sir," he said at last.

Takeru titled his head in that direction. "Ebueningu," he smiled, lapsing into an accent he hadn't had in months. Tapping along, he found his way over to the counter.

"What can I help you with tonight?" the man asked.

Takeru opened his mouth, then quickly covered it as he coughed. "Ekusukyusu me," he apologized. "Pakku obu cigarettosu, puriisu," he said, finding it hard to believe he had ever spoken so badly.

"Sure thing," the man responded. "What brand?"

"Ahhh, _etto_..." Takeru frowned. "I cannotto siimu ebaru remembaru engurishi neemu..." He tapped the cane in slight frustration, bowing his head once or twice in apology. "Sari foa toraboru, _demo,_ yuu riido me fiu? _Onegaishimasu._"

The man shrugged it off once he managed to work out what Takeru had said. "S'not a problem. Not busy tonight." Turning around, he started reading off the brands of cigarrettes on the shelf behind the counter.

Meanwhile, Ethan and Rhianna packed as much into the helmet as they possibly could. There was no telling when their next opportunity to get food would be. Rhianna was honestly beginning to feel as though she really _was_ pregnant with all of the weight, and she hoped she would be able to make it out of the store without falling over. Ethan slipped some things into his pockets and her purse, as well. Once they were finished, he nodded to her.

"Lean back a bit an' put yer hand on yer back so ya don't tip forward," he suggested quietly. "Gonna get da door and make our excuse." As she followed his advice, he slipped back into the role of loving husband, heading out of the aisle ahead of her. "Ya had da pickles, but ya don't have da kind'a ice cream an' hot sauce she likes. Sorry for buggin' ya," he said as he pushed the door open.

The man chuckled. "Not a problem. There's another store across town that might have it." His look changed to more a stern one, "But don't make her walk all that way, y'hear?"

Ethan laughed as his "wife" gave a sweet little wave to the man and waddled past him. "Yessir." Following after Rhianna, he closed the door and looked for a safe place to wait for Takeru. Spotting an empty bench down the street, he led his faceciously gravid companion over to it and helped her sit down. Seating himself as well, he put an arm around her, intending to keep up the ruse should anyone happen down the street.

Several minutes later Takeru appeared, exiting the convenience store. He made his way over to them rather laboriously, to the point where Rhi found him to be a little _too_ convincing of a blind person. Out of the light of the store, however, she imagined he truly was having a time seeing where he was going.

"'Bout time," Ethan complained. "How'd it go in dere?"

Takeru shrugged. "Nice kid. He didn't get impatient or anything." After a moment, he added, "Then again, it's the night shift. Poor guy must be _dying_ for something to do."

"At least he wasn't suspicious or anything," Rhianna said, her relief apparent.

"Yeah, tankfully," Ethan said, getting to his feet. "Now we jus' need ta find a place ta crash." He took a few steps away, searching for something with his eyes. "Apartments, apartments..." Spying a larger building with several windows, he nodded. "Looks promising. C'mon," he motioned for the two to follow him.

"Hey!" Rhianna complained. "Help your pregnant wife, you inconsiderate jerk!" She held out her hands, trying not to grin.

Ethan turned back around. "Sorry, sweetie, it slipped my mind. Tryin' ta put a roof over yer head, y'know." He took her small hands in his large ones and gently pulled her to her feet.

"Oof, thanks," she said, placing a hand over her bogus belly to make sure she didn't lose any of the looted goods. Takeru grinned and made some comment about her being cute. "Shut up," she said irritably. "You're supposed to be blind."

Ethan chuckled and gave the faux belly a pat. "C'mon, let's get dis baby home."

The three of them set off, Ethan's head darting around every so often. He checked back now and then to make sure he wasn't losing his slower companions. Upon seeing that poor Rhi was practically jogging to keep up, he slowed down.

"Sorry," he said.

"S'okay, hubby," she replied, taking hold of one of his arms. That would ensure he slowed down a bit.

After walking a little longer, Ethan pointed with his free arm. "There it is." The building he indicated was long, and made up of single-story apartments placed side-by-side. "Whaddya think?" he asked, smirking at Rhianna. "Good place to raise a baby?"

"I suppose it'll do," she answered with a mock sigh.

"Okay," Ethan mumbled, beginning to talk to himself. "Need a point of entry. Be right back, guys." He jogged away from them to check windows. After a few minutes, he returned, looking disturbed.

"So did _not_ need ta fuckin' see dat," he growled. "Found an open unit, though." He led Takeru and Rhianna along the building before stopping in front of a particular apartment. The two stood silently as he went about checking the door. A moment later, he uttered a curse.

"What?" Rhianna asked.

"Fuckin' paranoid Roswellians," he grumbled. "Dere's a security system. We open da door or window, it breaks da connection an' trips it." He pointed out two small metal plates on both.

Takeru scowled. "Great."

"Minor setback," Ethan assured him. "Stay outta sight 'til I get back," he instructed, sprinting off at full speed. The two had little choice but to take cover behind some nearby bushes until his return. Luckily for them, he wasn't gone long.

They came out of hiding upon his return and noticed he was carrying what appeared to be a number off of a gas station sign. Spotting the bizarre looks he was receiving, he explained. "It's magnetic." Setting it down on the exposed edge of the metal plate on the windowsill, he began working the window up. After a moment he slid the number upward and opened the window all the way. Motioning to Rhianna, he grinned. "Women and children first."

Rolling her eyes, she waddled over to him. It was a bit tricky, but with some effort Ethan managed to help her through the window. Holding out a hand to Takeru, he aided the man in finding the window before giving him a boost as well. Once both of them were safely inside, he followed suit. He reversed the earlier process in order to shut the window behind them.

"Please, hold your applause," he said triumphantly.

Rhianna just stared for a moment. "If we must," she said finally. "I'm not even gonna ask how you knew how to do that," she added. It had come to him far too easily, she thought.

"Spent a lot a' time on da streets," he explained matter-of-factly. "Sleepin' inside's always better'n sleepin' in da cold."

"True." Rhianna reached under her dress to remove the helmet and set it on the floor. Slipping the strip of swimsuit fabric down over her feet, she tossed it aside.

Ethan spoke up in a cheesy documentary-esque voice. "Behold, da miracle of birth."

Takeru laughed, picking up one of the energy bars. "I think I'll name you Billy!" he declared.

"Need me ta hold yer hand, Rhi?" Ethan asked with a smirk.

"Har har," she laughed, voice laden with sarcasm, "you guys are _so_ funny."

"This from da chick givin' birth ta Little Debbies," Ethan countered.

Tossing her hair, she gave him a haughty grin. "We won't get into whose fault _that_ is."

Not seeming bothered in the slightest by her statement, Ethan only shot her a smug grin in return. "Awright, lesse what we got here. Dunno when we'll haffta pull dis shit again, so we'd best try'n ration it or some crap like dat." Both Rhianna and Takeru agreed that it was a good idea, and the trio set out to organize the items, sitting down and spreading them across the floor. Ethan took inventory while they did so. "Not a bad haul. Ya can really pack away da snacks, can't ya, Rhi?"

"Apparently," she giggled.

"Okay," Ethan said thoughtfully. "I tink we can make dis stretch pretty far if we're careful. I'm used ta skippin' meals. Food ain't always available... 'least, not when yer a fuckin' lab rat." He sighed and moved jerkily to pop his neck with a loud _crack_.

"Same here," Takeru assented.

Ethan nodded. "Gotta make sure Rhi gets her fill, dough. Her skills're da most useful right now." Takeru agreed to the statement readily.

"I guess," Rhianna said quietly. She was beginning to feel guilty about the two of them going out of the way for her.

"'Ey," Ethan nudged her chin upward gently. "None a' dat crap. Yer shadow shit can really save our asses, an'... well, fuck, both a' yers're more reliable'n mine. Gotta make sure ya both get da juice ya need." When she nodded, he gave another look around. He suddenly stiffened, as though he noticed something was off.

Takeru frowned. "What?"

"Dis ain't empty," Ethan revealed. "S'just barely got shit in it." At their worried looks, he went on quickly. "Dun look like anybody's been here in a few, dough, so we should be alright..." Standing up, the man wandered into the kitchen. They could hear the sounds of cupboards being opened and closed. "Nuttin'... nuttin'... moldy..." The sound of a refrigerator door being opened met their ears. "Spoiled milk... oh, God, I apologize for all da shit I've given' ya over da years..."

"The hell are you mumbling about?" Takeru asked. His question was answered as Ethan returned, carrying a six pack of beer like it was the holy grail.

There was no pomp and circumstance involved as he pulled a can out, popped it open, and slammed it down, almost in a single gulp. Rhianna made a face, clearly not a big fan of the only beverage available to them. Takeru looked as though he wanted to take one, but was afraid of losing a hand.

"G'head," Ethan said, crushing the beer can on his forehead. "After all dat time bein' poked an' prodded at, don't tell me it ain't fuckin' miller time."

Takeru took one gladly and opened it up, taking a swig. He didn't drink it nearly as fast as Ethan, but it was the best that American beer had ever tasted to him. Catching the granola bars Ethan chucked at him, he tore one open and took a bite.

"Can't be hung over when yer runnin' for yer life, y'know," Ethan comment, taking hold of a Snickers. The three ate in silence for a while before it became apparent that Rhianna wasn't drinking. "Not a fan 'a brews, Rhi?"

She shook her head. "I'm underaged, but I wouldn't drink it anyway. Nasty stuff."

"How old're ya?" Ethan asked, quirking a brow.

"I'm only sixteen," she answered.

Ethan laughed. "Ya don't look dat young. M'only twenty myself. Shit tastes like crap alright, so yer not missin' much there, but I'll be damned if it don't take some'a da stress off yer shoulders."

"How old did you think I was?" Rhianna asked, seeming amused.

"Figger'd ya fer 'bout eighteen... nineteen mebbe..." He turned to Takeru. "Watcha tink, Riceball?"

"I thought you were eighteen, at least," Takeru admitted.

"Uh oh," Rhianna sighed. "That means I'm not gonna age well."

"Better watch yerself around Riceball," Ethan chuckled. "Dem Japs go crazy fer younger chicks."

"Oh, no worries there," Takeru assured her. "I'm gay." It was hard for Rhianna to tell if he was being serious, though she got the impression that he was kidding around.

Ethan just laughed and tossed her a beer. "S'yer choice. We're breakin' enough laws as is. 'An like I said, s'good fer da nerves if ya don't overdo it." Spotting her look of disgust, he shrugged. "Ain't gonna twist yer arm, kid, but I dun even know if da water's still hooked up."

Takeru got to his feet and went to investigate, for lack of anything better to do. In the meantime, Ethan stretched out on the floor and put his hands behind his head. Rhianna popped the beer can open and managed to down it, in spite of its first insisting to come back up. Their asian companion returned, looking annoyed.

"Someone forgot to pay their water bill," he informed them.

"Warned ya," Ethan said. "Means a shower's outta da question too," he sighed. "Damn."

Takeru grinned. "I wondered what that smell was."

"Cute, Riceball. Real cute."

"I _am_ cute," Takeru agreed as he sat down. The comment elicited a giggle from Rhi, and an ill-tempered look from Ethan.

"So," Rhianna began as she finished off her food, "are you an old man, Riceball?"

He sighed sadly as she, too, began to use the dreaded nickname. "I'm twenty-three," he said, finishing off his beer.

"Perrrrrverrrt," Ethan accused jocularly. "Rhi, you take da bedroom. I'd suggest lockin' it so Riceball dun get no ideas." He sat up, grinning. "An' Riceball, I'll armwrestle ya fer da couch."

"You can have it," Takeru said flatly, tossing his glasses onto a nearby table. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he headed for a corner. "I'm Japanese, remember? Used to sleeping on the floor." His voice held the faintest trace of venom.

"Aw, I tink I hurt his feewings," Ethan chuckled.

Rhianna frowned a little, but said nothing. Instead, she drained the remaining contents of her beer can and set it down. "I'm... gonna sleep. Night, you two." Getting to her feet, she headed for the bedroom.

"Night, kid," Ethan replied. He cut his eyes to the corner as Takeru muttered something about "gojira." "What was dat?" he snapped.

"Nothing... zipper boy," Takeru replied lightly.

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "What? Y'actually tink I'm scared a' dat shit?" he asked.

"Have another go," Takeru threatened. "We'll find out."

"I had Mouth mess wit' me, so we had summin' ta make da plan work," he told the foreigner flatly, flopping onto the couch. "...ya dun wanna be what really scares me."

Takeru dropped onto the floor and leaned against the wall, folding his arms across his chest and closing his eyes. Exhaling slowly, he tilted his head back to rest it against the wall, too. "I never wanted to be what scares anyone," he said softly.

The conversation ended, both men drifted into an uneasy sleep. In the bedroom, Rhianna was already out like a light. For now, none of them wanted to think about what awaited on the morrow.


	8. Chapter 8

Takeru stretched out his legs, peering around the small desert cave he and Rhianna had found for refuge. Ethan was propped up against the cold stone wall across from him, still unconcious, and Rhianna was curled up on the dusty floor, asleep. The foreigner was currently playing the part of the lookout, with his sunglasses resting atop his head. Caramel eyes passed over the sparse scenery of the cave, then over Ethan. He looked no worse for the wear, other than the sorry state of his jumpsuit. Various holes and tears had been added to its composition, likely from the strange mechanical fusion the man had pulled off earlier.

Takeru was steadily becoming aware of just how tired he was. Adrenaline had pushed from his mind the fact that he had made an extensive use of his powers, as well as run across the desert, then spent time dragging his large male companion about the shifting terrain in search of shelter. Normally the first would have been sufficient enough to drain him, but he was thankful that both he and Ethan had not lost their hold on conciousness. Rhianna likely could not have managed by herself, especially not with the two of them as dead weight. Either way, though, the man found himself to be utterly spent.

Every muscle in his body tensed at the sound of nearby movement, but he relaxed as he realized that it was only Ethan stirring. Slipping the sunglasses back over his eyes, Takeru leaned forward slightly. It was difficult to see in the dim light of the paltry cavern, but the late morning light filtering in from outside helped. They had only been in the cave for about an hour by Takeru's estimation.

Ethan struggled for a moment to regain control of his incompliant body. His sharp emerald gaze cut across the cavity to look at Takeru, taking in the man's exhausted appearance. Finally managing to sit up a bit more, he nodded to Takeru.

"Get some rest, Riceball."

Relief flooded Takeru's mind and he sank back, closing his eyes. For the first time in hours, the tension in his body was alleviated, allowing his aching muscles some relief. Not a full moment later he dozed off.

Averting his eyes from Takeru, Ethan glanced over to Rhianna's dormant form. The girl seemed to be sleeping quite soundly. Other than a few scrapes and bruises acquired from the moment she lost hold on his shadow, her small body was basically unharmed. An unwitting smile crossed his face, though whether it was from the mitigation of his worry or something else he did not care to think.

Deterring both his gaze and his thoughts, Ethan turned his attention to what was left of his jumpsuit. He had smashed the homing devices on both Rhianna and Takeru's suits, but he had not given that consideration to his own. Fortunately, it seemed that any trace of the device had been destroyed when he fused the jackhammer to his arm.

Giving another glance at his slumbering companions, the man got to his feet. He felt sturdy enough, now. Turning toward the mouth of the cave, he stepped lightly outside. It was time for a little reconnaissance.

Time passed in his absence, and eventually Rhianna came to. It took her a moment to remember where she was as she pushed herself into a sitting position and looked around. Her eyes flitted to rest on Takeru, and after a moment, she reached out to shake him gently. He groaned, turning his head toward her.

"Where's Ethan?" she asked softly. A groggy, noncommittal noise from the man was her only response. She frowned, combing through her hair with her fingers.

Both of them froze as the sound of echoing footsteps met their ears. Sharing an anxious glance, each turned to look toward the entrance of the cave. Takeru slid his glasses down to better his vision, waiting breathlessly.

The pair let out a sigh of relief when it was Ethan who came into view. Sweat beaded on the man's faintly sunburned skin, and the sand caking his body made it clear he had been walking about outside for sometime. Seeing the looks they were giving them, the man only shrugged.

"Someone had ta' figger out where da hell we are..."

Takeru got to his feet, dusting himself off. "And did you figure it out?" he inquired.

"Yeah," Ethan responded. He hesitated a moment before continuing. "We're about an hour's walk outside a' fuggin' Roswell."

"New Mexico?" Rhianna inquired dumbly. Her mind could hardly wrap around the fact that she was so far from home.

Spotting her expression, Ethan nodded. "Yeah. Not exactly my backyard, either." After a moment he added, "Y'ever remember where da hell they nabbed ya from?"

"Yes," she replied. Truth be told, she had remembered quite some time ago, but had never thought it necessary to share. "Way up north... Albany."

The man gave her an incredulous look. "You're from New York, too?" When the question was met with a small smile, he chuckled. "Small world... dey must have a grudge against da Yankees'r summin'." Moving on to the next topic, he motioned outside. "Anyway, da sun's startin' ta go down, an' it's a little cooler. If we go now, we should make it dere a little after sunset."

"Where are we going to go?" Rhianna asked uncertainly. Escaping was all well and good, but they were a long way from any of their homes, with no mode of transportation other than their feet.

"No idea," Ethan admitted. "We'll have ta wing it. First priority's gettin' some friggin' normal clothes."

Rhi nodded. "I'm all for that one." It was a vague plan, but at least it gave them some direction.

"Er," Takeru broke in, "I don't know about you two, but I'm a little short of money."

"I got da universal currency right 'ere," Ethan stated with a grin, holding up his fist. "Hell!" he exclaimed, "we're already wanted. Might as well add theft."

Though he looked less than convinced, Takeru shrugged. "I guess so."

"C'mon," Ethan urged the two of them, heading back toward the mouth of the cave. "Oh," he added as they joined him, "watch out fer snakes." He reached down to pick up a big stick on their way out, Rhianna considerably paler as she and Takeru trailed along behind.

The trio trudged onward as the sun set, not saying much. They had plenty on their minds to occupy them on their trek without conversing. The night was just beginning to darken when they spotted the lights of a town looming in the distance.

"What's that?" Rhianna asked, looking to Ethan.

"Roswell," he responded, affirming her thoughts. "We'll have ta hide out for a little longer... wait 'til everyone's asleep." He paused to think. "See if we can find a thrift store or sommin'."

"Sounds like a good plan," Takeru agreed.

Rhianna cocked her head to the side. "I'll go see if I can find a store...?" she suggested.

"Good idea," Ethan said, nodding. "Jus' don't fall out," he added. His tone made it impossible for her to tell if he was simply warning her, or if the statement contained a hint of teasing as well.

"I won't," she replied indignantly. "Be back soon." The girl sank into the nearest shadow and headed for the town, determined to scope out the situation for her companions.

Takeru and Ethan settled in to wait. Upon her return, the two men were entertaining themselves by playing a game of tic-tac-toe in the sand. She slipped out of the shadow of a nearby cactus and stood for a moment, unnoticed.

"Boo," she said, finally.

Takeru flinched visibly. Ethan leapt to his feet and whirled around, brandishing the stick he'd picked up earlier. Rhianna held up her hands in defense, crying out.

"Don't hurt me! It's me! It's me!"

Ethan was furious. "Y'can't do dat shit, Rhi! We're escaped lab experiments, but more'n dat, I'm from da fuggin' Bronx!" he snapped.

"Sorry," Rhianna said quietly, shrinking back. She sank to seat herself on the ground.

"God," Ethan breathed, sifting his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry, Rhi..."

She shook her head. "It's okay," she assured him. "You were right."

"I shouldn't 'a bit yer head off," he said, his voice growing calmer. "But yer lucky dey took my piece when I was nabbed... otherwise we'd be lookin' fer a hospital, too." Sighing, he returned his attention to the matter at hand. "So what'd ya dig up?"

Taking a deep breath, Rhianna willed her voice not to shake as she related what she had seen. "There's a Goodwill pretty close... I saw a grocery store, and several convenience stores, too." Her stomach was happy to remind her just how hungry she was as she spoke.

"Well," Ethan commented once she was finished, "breakin' inta da goodwill... while ironic... shouldn't be too hard." He crossed his arms. "We'll haffta do some shoplifting, 'cause a grocery store'd be too difficult." The man's green eyes darkened in thought. "Hey, Rhi..." At her questioning look, he asked, "D'ya think ya could put other things 'sides yerself in shadows?"

She thought about that for a moment. "Well... I dunno..." It was plausible, but she felt rather uncertain about it. "Maybe," she concluded.

"I'm thinkin' so," Ethan said, "'cause when ya slipped in an' outta my shadow ya didn't lose yer jumpsuit'r anythin'..."

Rhianna nodded. "I was thinking about that, but..." The girl crossed her arms, carefully considering the scenario. "The jumpsuit was exposed to the same stuff I was..."

Takeru listened to the pair, growing tired of the debate. Slipping his sunglasses off, he placed a hand over his eyes and held them out to Rhianna. Seeing this, Ethan quickly turned his back to Takeru, claiming it was "just to be safe." Taking the sunglasses gingerly, Rhianna looked them over for a moment and got to her feet before stepping onto the nearest shadow and dropping through it.

No sooner than she had gotten to the other side, fatigue hit her with surprising strength. The girl staggered slightly as some unseen force seemed to suck the energy right from her body. Panicking, she shifted back and offered the glasses to Takeru with a shaky hand.

Ethan turned around once Takeru had the sunglasses back on and looked at her for a moment. "Y'alright?" he inquired.

A small nod was her only response for a moment. Taking a deep breath, she placed a hand on her face and tried to coerce the world to stop spinning. "That... took a lot more energy that normal..."

"Alright," Ethan said. "We'll rule dat out fer t'nite, den. Looks like I'll haffta get crafty." The man transferred his gaze to the town. "Lights're goin' out. Everyone must be hittin' da hay." Turning back to his companions, he nodded toward Roswell. "Let's get movin'. I wanna sleep sometime t'nite."

The three of them set off, once again lapsing into silence. Their vantage point had been a little ways out of town, and by the time they reached it, darkness had set in completely and all was quiet. When Takeru's sunglasses caused him to stumble, Ethan offered the branch he was still toting.

"Do I get to pretend to be blind?" Takeru asked jokingly as he took hold of it and allowed himself to be guided along.

Rhianna giggled. "Pretend?" she shot back.

Ethan started to chuckle, then stopped abruptly. "Hey," he began, his voice taking on an astute tone, "dat could work." He grinned. "Most 24-hour stores only staff one guy at night. Wit' your hack, ya could pass as a smoker. Keep him or her occupied tellin' ya what brands dey got while Rhi an' I fill our pockets."

"Alright," Takeru agreed.

"So work up some good ones!" Rhianna instructed. He gave a half-hearted cough, which prompted her to shake her head in disappointment. "A-!" she announced.

Ethan seemed disillusioned by their antics. "We don't want 'im dyin' on us. Save 'em," he expressed plainly. "So where's dis Goodwill at?"

Takeru and Ethan followed as their petite female companion led the way. In a matter of minutes she had guided them safely and quickly to their destination, a dingy old Goodwill that had probably seen better days. The man from the Bronx immediately began giving the door severe scrutiny.

"No visible alarms," he murmured, more to himself than either of his comrades. His analytical gaze worked its way up the building before coming to a stop. "A cracked open window," he uttered with a grin. "Lucky us."

Rhianna looked at Takeru, her chest contracting at the realization of what they were about to do. The girl had never broken into a place before, and she had only stolen something once. Even then the guilt of it had caused her to admit her wrongdoing. An act of this nature was completely beyond her ken. Turning back to Ethan, she spoke up uncertainly. "What do you want us to do?"

"Come wit' me," he said simply. "Someone standin' outside'd be suspicious... 'sides, the window's too high for me ta climb to." He took his eyes from the building to turn them on her. "Gonna haffta boost someone, an' yer da lightest, Rhi."

"I can get in without going through the window," she objected.

Ethan shook his head. "Yer drained as is. God only knows how long it'll take fer ya ta get back up ta full, an' right now yer power's da most useful."

Rhianna had little choice but to acquiesce. "Alright," she surrendered, "gimme a boost."

Ethan hoisted her up with no trouble at all. "Man," he said, "yer light."

Reaching out her hands for the windowsill, Rhianna turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. She decided she might as well take the statement as a compliment. "Thanks."

"Wasn't technically a compliment," Ethan replied, "but yer welcome." He chuckled. "Jus' remind me ta tie ya down in a strong wind." Her only response was a giggle as she pulled herself up and slid through the window into the building.

"She's light," Takeru jibed, "and you could armwrestle the Thing."

"Nah," Ethan waved it off, "Ben was a champ."

Takeru was about to respond, but was interrupted as Rhianna unlocked the door and opened it for them. Thanking her, Ethan walked past Takeru to head inside. Shaking his head, the foreigner followed. All three spread out to rummage for suitable clothing.

"Hey, Rhi," Ethan said suddenly. "I've got a crazy idea." When she looked at him questioningly, he held up a maternity shirt and a bike helmet. "Ever fancy yourself a mother-to-be?" he asked with a charming grin.

As the urge to give him a strange look passed, she shot him a sweet smile. "Well, of course, honey." The words earned a rousing hack from Takeru.

Ethan laughed. "Now dat's da kind'a cough we need!" Sobering up, he went on to explain his reasoning. "Seriously dough... some light clothes underneat', we could slip food down inta da helmet, s'long as it's nuttin' rattley, an' make up some lame excuse fer leavin'."

Rhianna nodded. It made sense, she supposed. In the least, she hadn't come up with any better ideas.

"Alright," Ethan said, settling the matter. "See if ya can dig up like... bike shorts an' a sports bra. I gotta find summin' ta secure dis stuff in place wit'..." That said, he returned to scouring the clothing racks.

Takeru had moved his glasses out of the way of his eyes and was already changed into jeans and a black t-shirt. He searched the area for security cameras as he picked up a cane to serve as a more believable walking stick. There were no cameras that he could see, but when his eyes met with the oddly shiny ceiling, confusion filled him. He abruptly realized it had been covered with tin foil, and quickly slid his glasses back over his eyes upon seeing his own reflection. "You guys almost done?" he asked.

Rhianna popped up from behind a clothing rack, wearing a light blue tank top. "Yeah," she responded.

Ethan had thrown on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt as well. The man had managed to locate a boxcutter and was disassembling a swimsuit as the pair exchanged their quick words. "Got everythin'?" he asked Rhi. When she responded to the affirmative, he cleared the distance between them. "Alright," he said, placing a small folded blanket against her stomach, "hold dis in place fer a sec."

Placing the purse she had picked up nearby, she did as she was told and watched as he reached for the helmet. It had been lined with a blanket as well, likely to keep things from making noise once placed inside. Taking hold of it, he placed it visor up against the blanket she was holding.

"Now hold dat, please," he requested. When she had secured the helmet, he stretched the strip of swimsuit cloth he'd been cutting earlier around her waist and secured it with a few safety pins. "Alright," he said, "now for da finishin' touch. Arms up."

Rhianna raised her arms over her head and allowed Ethan to slip the maternity dress onto her. Her face colored with unprecedented embarrassment as she felt his large hands brush against her neck, doing up the buttons in the back. She felt relieved when he stepped away from her to survey his handiwork.

"Dere," he declared. "Wha'dya tink, Riceball?" he asked.

Takeru turned to peer over the top of his glasses at Rhianna. After a moment, he shrugged. "Looks right to me."

"What about you, Rhi?" Ethan questioned.

She gave him a thumbs up before attempting to move around. "Good," she commented, "it should stay okay." The bashful tint returned to her face as she asked, "Did it look weird?"

"As in?" the man countered.

"Well," she said thoughtfully, "did it look... _normal_?"

"Pretty much," Ethan assured her. "I'd suggest keepin' yer hands on it ta keep it from movin' too much, jus' in case." He paused. "Tink ya can manage a waddle?"

Giving it a try, she looked at the man for approval. After a few more moments of critiquing and polishing up her act, Takeru tapped his new cane on the floor impatiently. He could hardly see, but his eyes kept flitting instinctively toward the door.

"Something tells me there are better places to go about this," he reproached.

"Yeah," Ethan agreed. "We should get movin'. C'mon dear," he said to Rhi with a grin. "Let's go satisfy dat cravin'." Chuckling, he placed an arm around her shoulders. He missed her incoherent smile as he turned his gaze on Takeru. "Wait a few minutes 'til after we've gone in, den stall fer a little after we leave. Less suspicious dat way."

"Alright," Takeru said, adjusting his glasses.

"C'mon, honey," Ethan said, smirking down at Rhianna.

She had to resist the urge to remove that smug look from his face, smiling sweetly in response. "Mmk, pumpkin," she assented.

Ethan led the way, making sure the coast was clear before sneaking out of the store with his mock preggo and blind man in tow. "Alright," he said to Takeru as they began making their way down the street, "time ta space it out a little. Slow it down some, Tak. Remember, yer blind."

When the man fell back obediently and began tapping his way along, Ethan slipped an arm around Rhianna's waist. "Y'know," he said, the smirk returning to his face, "you look pretty cute."

Rhianna shot him a look. "Hmm. In order to be cute I have to get pregnant," she lamented. "I'll remember that one."

He chuckled. "Goin' hormonal on me already?" When she only grinned, he went on, "You know what I meant." Pointing to a building discreetly, he asked, "Dat it?"

She nodded, and Ethan put on his best smile, opening the door for her. As she passed him to head inside, he leaned down to steal a kiss from her. She could feel her face and ears burning with surprise at the action as he followed her inside. The girl struggled not to look as abashed as she felt.

"Good—" the man behind the counter paused as he lifted his gaze to them. Rhianna couldn't blame him. They had to look odd as a couple. "...evening," he finished finally. "Can I help you find anything tonight?"

"Nah," Ethan responded liesurely. "We're just here for a few tings. Cravings, y'know?" He looped his arm around his faux wife's waist again. The color refusing to leave her face, Rhianna could only nod and give a shy smile.

The man just chuckled. "Alright. Let me know if you can't find anything."

"Will do," Ethan said good-naturedly. He led his small companion down one of the aisles, looking around. "Good, no mirrors," he spoke quietly, surprising Rhianna. "Da only cameras're trained on da door an' da counter. Looks like dey're more worried about internal theft." He looked absolutely placid in spite of his words. "Let's get movin'. Da less perishable, da better."

She smiled, nodding, as if they were talking about something absolutely normal, like what color they were going to paint the baby's room. The corner of her mouth twitched in amusement, and she tried her best not to dwell on that thought. Ethan quickly began taking energy bars and the like off of the shelves and handing them back to her. As she craftily slipped them into the bike helmet, there was a dinging noise at the door. Takeru shuffled in, tapping the ground in front of him.

The man at the counter watched him for a moment. "...good evening, sir," he said at last.

Takeru titled his head in that direction. "Ebueningu," he smiled, lapsing into an accent he hadn't had in months. Tapping along, he found his way over to the counter.

"What can I help you with tonight?" the man asked.

Takeru opened his mouth, then quickly covered it as he coughed. "Ekusukyusu me," he apologized. "Pakku obu cigarettosu, puriisu," he said, finding it hard to believe he had ever spoken so badly.

"Sure thing," the man responded. "What brand?"

"Ahhh, _etto_..." Takeru frowned. "I cannotto siimu ebaru remembaru engurishi neemu..." He tapped the cane in slight frustration, bowing his head once or twice in apology. "Sari foa toraboru, _demo,_ yuu riido me fiu? _Onegaishimasu._"

The man shrugged it off once he managed to work out what Takeru had said. "S'not a problem. Not busy tonight." Turning around, he started reading off the brands of cigarrettes on the shelf behind the counter.

Meanwhile, Ethan and Rhianna packed as much into the helmet as they possibly could. There was no telling when their next opportunity to get food would be. Rhianna was honestly beginning to feel as though she really _was_ pregnant with all of the weight, and she hoped she would be able to make it out of the store without falling over. Ethan slipped some things into his pockets and her purse, as well. Once they were finished, he nodded to her.

"Lean back a bit an' put yer hand on yer back so ya don't tip forward," he suggested quietly. "Gonna get da door and make our excuse." As she followed his advice, he slipped back into the role of loving husband, heading out of the aisle ahead of her. "Ya had da pickles, but ya don't have da kind'a ice cream an' hot sauce she likes. Sorry for buggin' ya," he said as he pushed the door open.

The man chuckled. "Not a problem. There's another store across town that might have it." His look changed to more a stern one, "But don't make her walk all that way, y'hear?"

Ethan laughed as his "wife" gave a sweet little wave to the man and waddled past him. "Yessir." Following after Rhianna, he closed the door and looked for a safe place to wait for Takeru. Spotting an empty bench down the street, he led his faceciously gravid companion over to it and helped her sit down. Seating himself as well, he put an arm around her, intending to keep up the ruse should anyone happen down the street.

Several minutes later Takeru appeared, exiting the convenience store. He made his way over to them rather laboriously, to the point where Rhi found him to be a little _too_ convincing of a blind person. Out of the light of the store, however, she imagined he truly was having a time seeing where he was going.

"'Bout time," Ethan complained. "How'd it go in dere?"

Takeru shrugged. "Nice kid. He didn't get impatient or anything." After a moment, he added, "Then again, it's the night shift. Poor guy must be _dying_ for something to do."

"At least he wasn't suspicious or anything," Rhianna said, her relief apparent.

"Yeah, tankfully," Ethan said, getting to his feet. "Now we jus' need ta find a place ta crash." He took a few steps away, searching for something with his eyes. "Apartments, apartments..." Spying a larger building with several windows, he nodded. "Looks promising. C'mon," he motioned for the two to follow him.

"Hey!" Rhianna complained. "Help your pregnant wife, you inconsiderate jerk!" She held out her hands, trying not to grin.

Ethan turned back around. "Sorry, sweetie, it slipped my mind. Tryin' ta put a roof over yer head, y'know." He took her small hands in his large ones and gently pulled her to her feet.

"Oof, thanks," she said, placing a hand over her bogus belly to make sure she didn't lose any of the looted goods. Takeru grinned and made some comment about her being cute. "Shut up," she said irritably. "You're supposed to be blind."

Ethan chuckled and gave the faux belly a pat. "C'mon, let's get dis baby home."

The three of them set off, Ethan's head darting around every so often. He checked back now and then to make sure he wasn't losing his slower companions. Upon seeing that poor Rhi was practically jogging to keep up, he slowed down.

"Sorry," he said.

"S'okay, hubby," she replied, taking hold of one of his arms. That would ensure he slowed down a bit.

After walking a little longer, Ethan pointed with his free arm. "There it is." The building he indicated was long, and made up of single-story apartments placed side-by-side. "Whaddya think?" he asked, smirking at Rhianna. "Good place to raise a baby?"

"I suppose it'll do," she answered with a mock sigh.

"Okay," Ethan mumbled, beginning to talk to himself. "Need a point of entry. Be right back, guys." He jogged away from them to check windows. After a few minutes, he returned, looking disturbed.

"So did _not_ need ta fuckin' see dat," he growled. "Found an open unit, though." He led Takeru and Rhianna along the building before stopping in front of a particular apartment. The two stood silently as he went about checking the door. A moment later, he uttered a curse.

"What?" Rhianna asked.

"Fuckin' paranoid Roswellians," he grumbled. "Dere's a security system. We open da door or window, it breaks da connection an' trips it." He pointed out two small metal plates on both.

Takeru scowled. "Great."

"Minor setback," Ethan assured him. "Stay outta sight 'til I get back," he instructed, sprinting off at full speed. The two had little choice but to take cover behind some nearby bushes until his return. Luckily for them, he wasn't gone long.

They came out of hiding upon his return and noticed he was carrying what appeared to be a number off of a gas station sign. Spotting the bizarre looks he was receiving, he explained. "It's magnetic." Setting it down on the exposed edge of the metal plate on the windowsill, he began working the window up. After a moment he slid the number upward and opened the window all the way. Motioning to Rhianna, he grinned. "Women and children first."

Rolling her eyes, she waddled over to him. It was a bit tricky, but with some effort Ethan managed to help her through the window. Holding out a hand to Takeru, he aided the man in finding the window before giving him a boost as well. Once both of them were safely inside, he followed suit. He reversed the earlier process in order to shut the window behind them.

"Please, hold your applause," he said triumphantly.

Rhianna just stared for a moment. "If we must," she said finally. "I'm not even gonna ask how you knew how to do that," she added. It had come to him far too easily, she thought.

"Spent a lot a' time on da streets," he explained matter-of-factly. "Sleepin' inside's always better'n sleepin' in da cold."

"True." Rhianna reached under her dress to remove the helmet and set it on the floor. Slipping the strip of swimsuit fabric down over her feet, she tossed it aside.

Ethan spoke up in a cheesy documentary-esque voice. "Behold, da miracle of birth."

Takeru laughed, picking up one of the energy bars. "I think I'll name you Billy!" he declared.

"Need me ta hold yer hand, Rhi?" Ethan asked with a smirk.

"Har har," she laughed, voice laden with sarcasm, "you guys are _so_ funny."

"This from da chick givin' birth ta Little Debbies," Ethan countered.

Tossing her hair, she gave him a haughty grin. "We won't get into whose fault _that_ is."

Not seeming bothered in the slightest by her statement, Ethan only shot her a smug grin in return. "Awright, lesse what we got here. Dunno when we'll haffta pull dis shit again, so we'd best try'n ration it or some crap like dat." Both Rhianna and Takeru agreed that it was a good idea, and the trio set out to organize the items, sitting down and spreading them across the floor. Ethan took inventory while they did so. "Not a bad haul. Ya can really pack away da snacks, can't ya, Rhi?"

"Apparently," she giggled.

"Okay," Ethan said thoughtfully. "I tink we can make dis stretch pretty far if we're careful. I'm used ta skippin' meals. Food ain't always available... 'least, not when yer a fuckin' lab rat." He sighed and moved jerkily to pop his neck with a loud _crack_.

"Same here," Takeru assented.

Ethan nodded. "Gotta make sure Rhi gets her fill, dough. Her skills're da most useful right now." Takeru agreed to the statement readily.

"I guess," Rhianna said quietly. She was beginning to feel guilty about the two of them going out of the way for her.

"'Ey," Ethan nudged her chin upward gently. "None a' dat crap. Yer shadow shit can really save our asses, an'... well, fuck, both a' yers're more reliable'n mine. Gotta make sure ya both get da juice ya need." When she nodded, he gave another look around. He suddenly stiffened, as though he noticed something was off.

Takeru frowned. "What?"

"Dis ain't empty," Ethan revealed. "S'just barely got shit in it." At their worried looks, he went on quickly. "Dun look like anybody's been here in a few, dough, so we should be alright..." Standing up, the man wandered into the kitchen. They could hear the sounds of cupboards being opened and closed. "Nuttin'... nuttin'... moldy..." The sound of a refrigerator door being opened met their ears. "Spoiled milk... oh, God, I apologize for all da shit I've given' ya over da years..."

"The hell are you mumbling about?" Takeru asked. His question was answered as Ethan returned, carrying a six pack of beer like it was the holy grail.

There was no pomp and circumstance involved as he pulled a can out, popped it open, and slammed it down, almost in a single gulp. Rhianna made a face, clearly not a big fan of the only beverage available to them. Takeru looked as though he wanted to take one, but was afraid of losing a hand.

"G'head," Ethan said, crushing the beer can on his forehead. "After all dat time bein' poked an' prodded at, don't tell me it ain't fuckin' miller time."

Takeru took one gladly and opened it up, taking a swig. He didn't drink it nearly as fast as Ethan, but it was the best that American beer had ever tasted to him. Catching the granola bars Ethan chucked at him, he tore one open and took a bite.

"Can't be hung over when yer runnin' for yer life, y'know," Ethan comment, taking hold of a Snickers. The three ate in silence for a while before it became apparent that Rhianna wasn't drinking. "Not a fan 'a brews, Rhi?"

She shook her head. "I'm underaged, but I wouldn't drink it anyway. Nasty stuff."

"How old're ya?" Ethan asked, quirking a brow.

"I'm only sixteen," she answered.

Ethan laughed. "Ya don't look dat young. M'only twenty myself. Shit tastes like crap alright, so yer not missin' much there, but I'll be damned if it don't take some'a da stress off yer shoulders."

"How old did you think I was?" Rhianna asked, seeming amused.

"Figger'd ya fer 'bout eighteen... nineteen mebbe..." He turned to Takeru. "Watcha tink, Riceball?"

"I thought you were eighteen, at least," Takeru admitted.

"Uh oh," Rhianna sighed. "That means I'm not gonna age well."

"Better watch yerself around Riceball," Ethan chuckled. "Dem Japs go crazy fer younger chicks."

"Oh, no worries there," Takeru assured her. "I'm gay." It was hard for Rhianna to tell if he was being serious, though she got the impression that he was kidding around.

Ethan just laughed and tossed her a beer. "S'yer choice. We're breakin' enough laws as is. 'An like I said, s'good fer da nerves if ya don't overdo it." Spotting her look of disgust, he shrugged. "Ain't gonna twist yer arm, kid, but I dun even know if da water's still hooked up."

Takeru got to his feet and went to investigate, for lack of anything better to do. In the meantime, Ethan stretched out on the floor and put his hands behind his head. Rhianna popped the beer can open and managed to down it, in spite of its first insisting to come back up. Their asian companion returned, looking annoyed.

"Someone forgot to pay their water bill," he informed them.

"Warned ya," Ethan said. "Means a shower's outta da question too," he sighed. "Damn."

Takeru grinned. "I wondered what that smell was."

"Cute, Riceball. Real cute."

"I _am_ cute," Takeru agreed as he sat down. The comment elicited a giggle from Rhi, and an ill-tempered look from Ethan.

"So," Rhianna began as she finished off her food, "are you an old man, Riceball?"

He sighed sadly as she, too, began to use the dreaded nickname. "I'm twenty-three," he said, finishing off his beer.

"Perrrrrverrrt," Ethan accused jocularly. "Rhi, you take da bedroom. I'd suggest lockin' it so Riceball dun get no ideas." He sat up, grinning. "An' Riceball, I'll armwrestle ya fer da couch."

"You can have it," Takeru said flatly, tossing his glasses onto a nearby table. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he headed for a corner. "I'm Japanese, remember? Used to sleeping on the floor." His voice held the faintest trace of venom.

"Aw, I tink I hurt his feewings," Ethan chuckled.

Rhianna frowned a little, but said nothing. Instead, she drained the remaining contents of her beer can and set it down. "I'm... gonna sleep. Night, you two." Getting to her feet, she headed for the bedroom.

"Night, kid," Ethan replied. He cut his eyes to the corner as Takeru muttered something about "gojira." "What was dat?" he snapped.

"Nothing... zipper boy," Takeru replied lightly.

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "What? Y'actually tink I'm scared a' dat shit?" he asked.

"Have another go," Takeru threatened. "We'll find out."

"I had Mouth mess wit' me, so we had summin' ta make da plan work," he told the foreigner flatly, flopping onto the couch. "...ya dun wanna be what really scares me."

Takeru dropped onto the floor and leaned against the wall, folding his arms across his chest and closing his eyes. Exhaling slowly, he tilted his head back to rest it against the wall, too. "I never wanted to be what scares anyone," he said softly.

The conversation ended, both men drifted into an uneasy sleep. In the bedroom, Rhianna was already out like a light. For now, none of them wanted to think about what awaited on the morrow.


	9. Chapter 9

After taking the time to regain their strength by resting in the shade, the trio and their new companion set off with the stranger leading the way. By this point the sun was growing high in the sky, glaring down with a steadily intensifying heat. The landscape was even less comforting, offering no chance of shade nor repose from the sweltering atmosphere. In spite of all this, the three felt more encouraged than they had in quite a while. For once, if only for a short while, they were with someone who knew where they were going. Though only a slight sense of direction, it was direction nonetheless.

A small amount of banter was exchanged between the members of the small troupe, but for the most part they journeyed in silence. The stifling climate was suffocating enough, and after a while everyone inwardly concluded it would be best to forego speaking and save their energy. As they walked on, all were simply relieved that the heat was the biggest of their troubles. Unfortunately, it was not to last.

Ethan slowed, a frown crossing his features. "You guys hear summin'?" he asked.

The others stopped to listen. Indeed, there was a soft sound in the distance that seemed unnatural. Whatever it was, it was not the inherent ambience of their environment.

"Helicopters," the stranger said rather suddenly. "Military grade... special forces."

"Oh, God," Rhi breathed in unison with Ethan's "fuckin' hell." Takeru remained silent as the stranger looked in all directions.

"They are surrounding us," he stated apathetically.

"An' dey brought fuggin' _tanks_!" Ethan spat.

The stranger looked at him. "You're very calm about this, Ethan... pursued by the military often?" he queried.

"Only on Wednesdays," Takeru piped up, a grim smile on his face.

Ethan smirked. "Somebody better tell 'em it's Tuesday, den."

Rhianna could feel herself trembling with fear. "I don't think they care that much," she murmured.

"Yeah," he responded, backing up towards his companions. "Fuck," he growled as Rhianna shrank back against he and Takeru, "ya can't even drop us inta a shadow." Either their hunters had grown wise or the group was unjustly cursed, because it was high noon.

A moment later, a crackling voice spoke up through a megaphone. "Attention, fugitives. Surrender now, or we _will_ open fire." As soon as these words were uttered, a dozen or so of the tanks lowered their gun barrels. "Civilian, leave now and you will not be persecuted. Repeat, surrender immediately."

In spite of the fact that she was staring death in the face yet again, Rhianna couldn't help but think that an interesting choice of words. The aforementioned civilian wasn't going to be "persecuted" so much as he was going to be obliterated by a barrage of enormous bullets. She supposed, however, that if one had the firepower to commit such an act, grammar and appropriate word choice might not be too high a priority.

"Tak," Ethan began, interrupting her thoughts, "ya gotta line a' sight ta anyone?"

The foreigner didn't respond at first. "Well," he said thoughtfully at length, "I don't know about distance limitations... but it looks like they've got protective eyewear anyway."

Ethan uttered several choice expletives in response.

"They're rather serious, aren't they?" the stranger observed.

Rhianna looked at him. This was ridiculous; they never should have gotten him involved in the first place. "You should go," she urged.

"I might," he replied, "were my feet not rooted to this spot against my will."

"So yer scared," Ethan remarked.

"Perhaps," the stranger responded rather noncomittally. "I'm not moving, regardless."

Ethan gave the man a very odd look. "Yer crazy," he finally decided aloud. After a moment, he added, "but tanks fer stickin' by us."

"Any time," answered the stranger.

The distant spokesman interrupted again. "You have ten seconds to comply!" he informed them sharply. "Ten, nine, eight, seven..."

"Fuck," Ethan said in an unusually quiet voice. "Of all da ways to go out..."

The voice continued counting down their doom. "Four..." it said importantly, as though it thought itself a real hotshot simply because it could count backwards from ten.

"...it had ta be gunned down like a fuggin' dog," Ethan finished.

As the voice reached "two," Takeru wondered inanely if he could work out _seppuku_ before it finished. Knowing a two-second, weaponless version of the ritual suicide was on the verge of being absurdly impossible, he sighed. _A dishonorable death it is_, he thought with an almost amused morbidity.

"Nice knowin' ya guys," Ethan stated, turning. In an uncharacteristic move, he wrapped his arms around Takeru and Rhianna, futilely attempting to protect them. The latter could feel her eyes welling with tears at the gesture as she heard the voice halt. She squeezed her eyes shut, the tears escaping to roll down her cheeks. The silence lasted a moment that seemed like an eternity before there was an explosion of gunfire.

What followed was far from what any of them had expected. Rather than a sudden and horrific end, their ears were met with the sound of bullets ricocheting off of metal. Although terrified of what she might discover, Rhianna opened her eyes slowly.

Her blurred vision was not entirely sure _what_ it was seeing. As she reached to wipe her tears away, she realized that they had been surrounded by some kind of strange, metallic dome. One look at Ethan's tense body and red face gave his companions a general idea of how they were being protected. Somehow he had caused a wide variety of metallic debris to erupt from the ground and encase them inside a makeshift shield. As Takeru breathed a sigh of relief, the stranger was studying some of the metal with an intense gaze.

"Cease fire!" the once pompous voice ordered.

"Wh... what just happened?" Rhianna asked.

Ethan was breathing heavily as he attempted to explain. "Wasn't nothin'," he fell to his knees, "ta absorb... so... it came ta me." A familiar glint flashed in his eyes. "Heh... sure showed dose fuckers..."

"Shit," Takeru mumbled as Ethan dropped. The metal chunks that were serving as their only protection clattered to the ground along with him. Rhianna started to ask him if he was alright, but didn't have time as the troops were ordered to move in.

Slipping his glasses off, Takeru glared at the approaching soldiers. "Come and get me, bitches," he snarled defiantly. The advancing men flipped down their visors, apparently having learned their lesson. The foreigner kept his glasses off in spite of this, knowing there might still be a chance for him to catch one of them.

Seeing their options rapidly dwindling, Rhianna set her jaw. "Takeru," she lifted her chin and watched the combatants approach, "look at me, alright?"

He didn't respond at first. "That does not sound very wise," the stranger replied for him. "His eyes carry some sort of power, yes?"

"Yeah... and?" Takeru asked suspiciously.

"Save it for another fight," the man replied calmly. "I believe I can be of some assistance here." Setting his pack on the ground, his inability to move had apparently become a thing of the past as he walked toward the troops directly ahead of them.

"Stand aside, civilian, or you will be taken down," the commander warned.

It seemed that the man wasn't listening. Takeru slipped his glasses back onto his face, watching and wondering what the crazy fellow was planning. Rhianna's mind was mulling over just how bad it must be to have amnesia for one to wish to die in such an horrific manner. The soldiers seemed just as confused, as they had stopped moving for the time being, waiting to see what the man had in mind.

The stranger closed his eyes for a moment, a rare breeze teasing his hair just slightly. The silence was almost deafening as everyone held their breath, waiting. As he opened his eyes, the ground pulsed outward, a wave of dust following.

"This," the man spoke deliberately, "is for locking me up for all of those years." The shock-induced hush allowed his voice to be heard clearly by every last being present. "For the poking, the prodding... tearing me apart to see how I worked." He clenched his hands into fists, his eyes almost glowing.

"Blues drive, activate!"

Rhianna, Takeru, and Ethan could do nothing but look on in a dumbfounded stupor as blazing blue cracks began to weave their way across the stranger's skin. A moment later his epidermis shattered with a bright flash, giving way to a metallic form. The serial "N-473" could be read clearly on his back. Without another word, the man-turned-machine darted toward the troops.

"Da fuck," Ethan tried to straighten without much success, "is goin' on here?"

His companions gave no response, knowing no more than he did. They could only watch as the soldiers tried in vain to defend themselves against their robotic assailant. After all they'd been through, the trio thought they had seen just about everything, but it seemed the world still held some mysteries capable of blowing their minds.

"What ... _is_ he... exactly?" Rhianna managed to ask.

Meanwhile, the recently discovered robot had lifted up a tank and tossed it effortlessly into another. Most of the soldiers were rioting in a panic, but a few of courageous heart and less-than-sound mind did attempt to stand up to the man-bot. Things did not go in their favor; after all, for someone who could lift a tank, a handful of soldiers was hardly problematic.

"Stay close!" N-473 ordered, rushing back to his mystified companions as the attacking forces began to regroup into one mass. As he turned his back on the trio, his arm began to change, rearranging itself into something resembling a cannon. There was no sign that he was doing anything, and certainly no warning for what occurred next. The robot's arm jerked just slightly and a massive cloud of dust surged forward, heading straight for what was left of the squadron.

The next second, an almost palpable silence reigned. Rhianna was afraid to breathe as they waited for the dust to clear. N-473 was not as favorable towards delay.

"This is our opportunity to escape," he said calmly. "All of you, take hold of me, please."

None of the fugitives felt inclined to argue, still trying to process what exactly was going on. After a small amount of difficulty, they managed to arrange themselves in a way that each had a firm grip on the robot. The complications settled, N-473 aimed a concentrated sound pulse at the ground and launched them into the air.

Rhianna—who was currently piggybacking the android—cried out in surprise and tightened her hold around his neck. Takeru and Ethan weren't quite as secure, each positioned on one of N-473's feet. They exchanged a look as they held on for dear life, dubiously wondering if they would reach their destination in tact. The robot was more reliable than they gave him credit for, however; as the journey progressed, neither gave any sign of falling to their death.

After a while, the trio became accustomed to the ground rushing beneath them as they sped along high above it. From their altitude, the view of the desert was much more enjoyable, and the speed at which they were traveling ensured a nice, cool breeze. As surreal as the experience was, Takeru was thankful they didn't have to walk the vast distance they were covering. For quite some time N-473 rocketed along without incident, so all three were surprised when they began to lose altitude.

"Y'alright, man?" Ethan asked above the wind rushing through their ears.

No response was given as their elevation continued to decline. The glow seemed to have left the robot's appearance as he set his feet on the ground, his passengers quickly giving him some space. "I am in need of rest," he finally answered, sinking to a sitting position.

"Will you be okay?" Rhianna asked as she stepped back from him, worry written across her face. It seemed strange that she should feel concern for him, but they did owe him their lives.

"Yes," he replied. "However, I must remain here and regain my strength." Lifting a hand, he pointed to the northeast. "The town I spoke of is only a short way in that direction. You will have to carry on without me."

"C'mon," Takeru protested. "We can't just leave you out here in the middle of nowhere."

Although it was altogether impossible to tell, N-473's voice gave off the impression of a smile. "I assure you, I will be fine."

"If you say so," Rhianna acquiesced uncertainly.

"C'mon, you two," Ethan said, sounding slightly exasperated, "Nate can take care a' himself."

The other three stared at him for a moment. The man from the Bronx shot them a confused look in return.

"Nate?" Takeru questioned

"Yeah..." Ethan said, eyeing him. "Inn' dat wut it says on 'im?"

Rhianna and Takeru studied the serial number, exchanged a look, then shrugged. They supposed, in some roundabout way, it worked. "Nate" just cocked his head to the side slightly to the sound of shifting gears.

"Alrighty then," the foreigner of the group sighed. "Well, Nate, it's been nice knowing you. I don't suppose we'll be seeing you again."

"On the contrary," the robot replied. "I think you just might."


	10. Chapter 10

After the bittersweet parting with their new-found friend, the trio once again set off in search of civilization. Complications would hopefully be minimal, as Nate had assured them that the town was nearby, and they had left the military far behind for the time being. All three were quiet as they plodded along. Though the lift the robot had given them had helped cut back on their exhaustion, fatigue was at last beginning to set in. Ethan seemed to be experiencing the worst of it, whether he wanted his companions to know it or not.

On they trudged, searching the barren landscape for any sign of life. For a while, there was nothing, aside from a whole lot of just that: nothing. Suddenly, though, there was a deviation in the scenery. Takeru frowned, slowing only slightly.

"Do you guys see that?" he asked, pointing warily.

The other two looked at him in confusion before turning their gaze to the indicated spot. Sure enough, there was something there, though it was hard to tell what it was exactly. Beginning to approach more cautiously, they soon realized it was a man, curled up on the ground in a beaten heap. Before either Takeru or Ethan could stop her, Rhianna had darted to the man's side.

"He's in really bad shape," she murmured as she crouched next to him. Somewhere underneath the bruises, scrapes, dried blood, and dust was a rather handsome man, possibly in his early thirties. His short chestnut hair was as dusty as the rest of his slight frame, and the helpless position in which he lay completely undermined his apparent height. "I can't imagine who would do this," she continued softly. "It's horrible."

"Still alive?" Takeru queried. When she responded to the affirmative, he pulled out one of the canteens they had received from Nate. "There's still some water left in here." He glanced to Ethan for approval before tossing it to the girl.

Twisting off the cap, Rhianna carefully lifted the stranger's head and held the flask to his lips. At first, there was no response. Then, rather abruptly, the man sputtered awake, nearly choking on the liquid. Lids fluttered open to reveal blue eyes, which quickly fixed themselves on the face of the young woman kneeling over him.

"Where am I?" he asked, groaning slightly and holding his ribcage as he sat up. The pain seemed to have sparked recollection, as the look on his face served as a nonverbal retraction of the question. "Who are you people?"

"Nobody, really," Ethan answered. "Just passin' by."

"Interesting place to just 'pass by'," the man responded, but there was more amusement than suspicion in his tone. Getting to his feet in spite of Rhianna's protests, he reached painfully to dust himself off a little. "Where are you headed?"

"We heard there was a town near here," Takeru replied.

"Well," the stranger commented, attempting to use his shirt collar to wipe some dried blood from his nose, "there's only one town near here, and I'll be heading that way. I could escort you, if you prefer."

The three exchanged a look. While the benevolence of strangers was not something they would normally wish to question, it seemed they were running into all the right people. Perhaps it was a little too convenient.

Seeing their discomfort, the stranger spoke up. "I apologize, let me introduce myself." Extending a hand with the slightest of winces, he managed a smile. "Bruce Banner."

For a moment, no one responded to the gesture. It took a few seconds for Ethan to realize that his fellow fugitives were waiting on him to make the call on what they should do. Well, he certainly was no expert on manners, but refusing a handshake that was offered out of good will seemed harsh.

"Ethan," he responded, taking hold of the man's hand and giving it a firm shake. "Dat's Rhianna," he motioned as Bruce freed his hand, "and Takeru."

"It's nice to meet you," Rhi said politely.

"Pleasure," Takeru mumbled.

"Likewise," Banner responded with no small amount of mirth at their solemnness. "I'll be off, now. You're welcome to accompany me or not, whatever you think is best."

Looking between themselves again, the trio shrugged, following Banner as he headed off. Trustworthy or no, following someone who knew where they were going was far preferable to standing lost and stranded in the middle of nowhere. The atmosphere became somewhat tensely quiet, as Bruce's attempts at asking questions were met with an unresponsive lack of enthusiasm. Reaching an understanding that they would prefer to tell him nothing, the man lapsed into silence along with them.

It didn't last long. Ethan's breathing was becoming much heavier than normal, and Rhianna slowed to walk alongside him as he began wheezing. Worried, she placed a hand on his arm.

"Ethan?" she asked softly. "Are you okay?"

His response was pre-empted by a cough, which caused both Takeru and Rhianna to freeze in their tracks. The seemingly far-off memory of the previous attacks returned vividly to their minds. Wiping a hand across his mouth, he gave the pair, as well as the bewildered Banner, an almost annoyed look.

"M'fine," he said. "Just... tired..." Furrowing his brows, Ethan took a staggering step back, teetering unsteadily. The world swayed and blurred, losing focus, returning to focus, rocking like a ship in a hurricane. He fell hard as the ground pitched violently from beneath him.

"Ethan!" Rhianna cried fearfully, dropping down next to him. "Wake up, wake up! Ethan!" The tone of panic in her voice led Takeru to pull her away gently.

"He's fine, Rhianna," the foreigner said firmly. "It looks like he just fainted."

Burying her face in her hands, the girl attempted to calm herself. "He's sick!" she said hysterically. "Takeru! What if he dies!? I-is he going to die!? He won't, will he!?"

"Get a hold of yourself!" Takeru snapped, kneeling down to ease one of Ethan's big arms over his shoulders. Losing his footing for a moment from trying to support the larger man's dead weight, he took a deep breath. "There we go."

Bruce moved to help him. "Come on," was all he said. "We're nearly there, and then you can all get some much needed rest."

The journey's end was a small house on the outskirts of an equally diminutive town. Once inside, Ethan was deposited on a couch, and the other two joined Banner in the kitchen to have a chat. Though the man had accepted their reluctance before, the situation had changed enough to the point where he now demanded answers. There was no choice but for Rhianna and Takeru to tell him their story, in spite of their misgivings. They relayed the happenings of the past few months as he used the kitchen sink to clean up a little.

"I see," Banner murmured once the tale was complete. "I wish I could say I was surprised by the fact the government is doing such a thing. Apalled, yes. But surprised..." the man shook his head.

"I just don't have any idea what we're going to do," Takeru mumbled. The silence following his statement was punctuated briefly by a hacking cough from the general direction of the couch. "And we're starting to fall apart... Ethan was coughing up blood before."

Bruce seemed to be thinking this over. "You said they were treating you with the radiation gradually?" When the two nodded, he paced away from them, looking upward. "Obviously the methods are still imperfect, and it would seem that your treatment was not yet complete. Perhaps..." he trailed off.

"Perhaps?" Rhianna prompted softly.

"It's almost an addiction," he replied simply, "although, it's much worse than that. Your bodies now _need_ these treatments in order to function. Without it, I can't say what will happen. However, as your DNA was altered... I can only speculate that it will degrade to an irreparable point."

"You seem to know a lot," Takeru commented, trying not to think about what they had just been told.

Bruce smiled only a little. "I'm a scientist. It's what I do."

"Figures," the foreigner responded.

"But," Rhianna interjected, "if that's the case, then what should we do? Obviously we can't go back. If not that, then what?"

"There's only one person who can help you now," Banner said.

Takeru and Rhianna's eyes met. As they looked back to the other man, an understanding seemed to pass between the three of them.

"Reed Richards," they spoke in unison.

The unconcious third amigo stirred from his place on the coach, emitting a pained groan. Pushing himself to a sitting position, Ethan allowed his bleary gaze to pass over the group. They all had the same expression on their face, though what exactly it was, the man had no clue.

"S'goin' on?" he asked groggily.

Rhianna moved to sit down in a chair nearby. "We know where we need to go now."

"Oh yeah?" the Bronx man queried.

"Yeah," Takeru replied. "Somehow, we've got to get to New York City."

"Richards?" Ethan asked. At their nods, he sighed. "Why din' we tink'a dat sooner?"

"It would seem you had a few other concerns on your mind," Banner answered for the other two. "At any rate, you're welcome to rest here tonight. Tomorrow morning, I'll help you on your way."

"Oh," Rhi began to protest, "we couldn't ask you to."

"You didn't," was Bruce's only response, though a smile crossed his face. After taking a few minutes to see to it that everyone had what they needed for the night, he excused himself and disappeared down the hall.

Very little talk followed his exit. Takeru stretched out under a blanket on the floor, burying his face in a pillow and falling asleep almost immediately afterward. Ethan, still completely exhausted, dropped off on the couch soon after the other man. Rhianna curled up in her chair, yawning quietly and watching the other two sleep for a while. She just kept telling herself that soon it would all be over. Soon it would all be worked out and they would be safe. Maybe if she repeated it enough, she would get herself to believe it.

She knew better. Things would never go back to the way they had been before, when they had all been living their separate lives. Even if they'd wanted to, she very much doubted any of them could go back to their normal every day and expect to be able to fit in as before. They had changed, tangibly and intangibly. Still, she thought, perhaps that wasn't such a bad thing. Perhaps this change would be a good one. In the least, they had each other.

Eventually, she too drifted off to sleep.

Morning came all too soon for the weary fugitives, and in spite of their torpidity, Banner seemed intent upon moving out as quickly as possible. Once they had all gotten some food in them, he stopped only to grab a nearby garment bag before ushering them outside. Leading them once more outside of town, he slowed to a stop near some rock formations.

"What ... are we doing here?" Takeru asked sleepily.

Banner seemed to ignore the question, turning to look at Ethan. "Hit me, please."

"Say what?" Ethan asked, narrowing his eyes in an attempt to comprehend the request.

"Punch me," Banner repeated flatly, "as hard as you can."

Cracking his knuckles, the other man shook his head. "S'yer fun'ral." Takeru and Rhianna looked on in disbelief as Ethan drew back, flat out slugging Bruce right in the face.

Showing little reaction, Bruce took his garment bag and calmly retreated behind a rock.

"_Baka ka?_" Takeru sighed. He had no idea what was going on, and he felt as though he'd rather go back to sleep than attempt to figure it out.

They waited. Nothing happened. They waited some more. Still no word from Bruce. Ethan got a very funny look on his face that suggested he was wondering if perhaps he had hit the man just a little too hard. Looking between her two companions, Rhi was just about to suggest they check on him when there was movement.

What stepped out from behind the rock looked nothing like the man who had retreated there. The ash-skinned behemoth of a man ran an enormous hand through his raven black hair before lightly depositing a fedora atop his head. It matched the custom-made blue pinstriped suit that he was wearing, and what had to be the largest pair of black italian leather shoes in existence covered his feet. In spite of his size, he seemed to carry himself with a composed and intelligent air.

"Let's go," he said, and none of them protested. After all, what exactly did one say? They were a good distance from the town before any of them spoke up.

"Who da hell're you, anyways, an' where's dat Banner guy?" Ethan finally asked. Much to his companions' chagrin, his voice bore no modicum of fear for this titanic man.

"If ya wanna get technical, I AM Banner." The grey man responded, not slowing his trek in the least. "Y'kids ever hear'a da Hulk?"

"Hulk? Isn't he that menace the military is always grumbling about? It's always, 'The Hulk smashed this', or 'The Hulk smashed that'!" Rhi announced, her response drawing a grunt from the well-dressed brute.

"He ain't no menace," the giant grumbled. "Banner _is_ da Hulk. He wuz inna accident a buncha years ago, an' it messed 'im up. He gets pissed, he changes. Well, it turned out dere's a buncha us inside Banner's head. Whole army a' Hulks. We're all different, an' we duke it out whenever Banner starts'ta lose his cool, see who gets'ta play." The man grinned a bit, chuckling. "Da name's Joe. Joe Fix-it. Strong as da green guy, but I ain't as dumb."

There was a pause as the trio digested this. The information was certainly a bit to swallow, but at least it managed to explain what was going on, for the most part. Takeru was the next to chime in.

"So how exactly are you going to help us, Mr. Fix-it?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "We don't exactly need any cities leveled or anything."

"Heh. Why dontcha just climb on and find out?" Joe asked, kneeling to allow the companions access to his back and arms. Ethan took hold of the former, Rhianna and Takeru the latter. "Y'might wanna hang on tight, kiddies, s'gonna be a wiiiild ride!" The grey-skinned Hulk grinned broadly and started his way across the desert again, feet slapping the ground heavily as he started to accelerate. The speed the man began to achieve proved to be quite startling for his passengers, as they watched the ground turn to a blur beneath them.

Suddenly, mid-run, Joe dropped into a crouch, the trio feeling the immense, steely muscles under his suit tighten. The three instinctively tightened their grips on the giant man, and were definitely relieved they'd done so as the mighty behemoth made a titanic leap into the air. Higher and higher they went; climbing to ten, fifty, as high as one hundred feet. The ground sailed past underneath them, generating a sense of awe and disbelief.

"'Ey sweet cheeks, y'wanna hang on to my hat fer me? I dun wan' it blowin' away, y'dig?" Joe tilted his head down a little when Rhi nodded, allowing the small girl to take the fedora from atop it. "Danks, doll face."

Several minutes of air time passed before they finally began a downward arc towards the ground. "Allee-oop!" exclaimed their ride. No sooner had they had touched down, his powerful legs rocketed them right back into the air. They were easily covering miles at a time. It became apparent, even to Ethan, that such a form of movement would make it a very short trip to New York City.


	11. Chapter 11

Up, down, up, down; and inbetween each arc was a long moment of forward motion. The wind shrieked loudly in each of the fugitives' ears as the Hulk Joe Fix-It rocketed them toward their destination. The motion could have easily induced the seasickness from Hell in even the most stable-stomached of individuals.

"Thank ya fer flyin' Air Joe wit us t'day," Joe commented sarcastically over the gusts. "We may be experiencin' some slight turbulence, so don't puke on my friggin' suit, ya dig?"

"Word," Takeru replied with a queasy expression on his face.

Nearby, Rhianna was clinging to Joe with her eyes squeezed tightly shut. Inwardly, she prayed for the trip to be over as soon as possible. Ethan seemed the least affected of the three. He was gazing around with interest, taking in the view in an almost absurdly relaxed manner. His expression changed, however, when he spotted something behind them that he did not recognize. Squinting, he nudged Takeru and pointed questioningly.

"...the hell?" the foreigner mumbled.

Ethan turned back to their ride, raising his voice to speak as loudly as he could. "JOE!" he shouted.

"Huh?" the hulkish grey man replied, looking at him.

"What're those?" Ethan yelled, pointing over Joe's shoulder. "Some kinda... robots, it looks like!"

Joe frowned. "That... don't sound good," he grumbled, taking a backwards glance. The objects in question were most certainly robots, and not just any robots. These particular machines had missile pods attatched to them. "Aww crap," Joe growled. "Hulkbusters."

"What da fuggin' hell is a Hulkbuster!?" Ethan demanded.

"Jerks in big metal suits tryin' ta bring me an' tha other hulks down, that's what," Joe replied.

A look crossed Takeru's face that seemed to say, "God damn it, I _knew_ we were going to die." Rhianna shared his dismal expression, but with a pinch more panic. Ethan just seemed annoyed.

"Yanno," he commented, "dis day jus' gets better 'n better."

"Maybe we're cursed!" Takeru suggested.

"Welcome ta life!" Joe snorted.

Ethan laughed. "Yer alright, Joe!"

"Thanks, kid," Joe replied. "I think."

"Coming from him, it's a complement," Takeru assured the not-so-jolly gray giant.

Joe took another look back. "They're gainin' on us," he observed. His big brows furrowed for a moment as he paused to think, considering their options. At last he said, "Alright. Der's a town not too far ahead'a my next landing... I'm gonna try ta get the sicko here as far as I can. Jap, yer off first," he announced as he began the downward arc toward the ground far below.

"Uhh... right," Takeru replied uncertainly.

"Just head dead straight, got it?" the hulk instructed. "Once I ditch tha' metalheads, I'll swing back around ta pick ya up." No sooner than he had uttered the words, the ground rushed to meet them. The giant man crouched to absorb the impact before lowing the arm that Takeru was in. Once the foreigner gave him a thumbs up to signify that he understood what he was to do, Joe made another giant leap into the air.

"Me next?" Rhianna asked over the wind rushing past their ears.

"Yeah," Joe replied. "SHIT!" he bellowed suddenly, whirling midair to grab an incoming missile with his free hand. Hurling it back toward the robots, he hollered, "I _hate_ it when they do that!"

Rhianna's eyes were wide enough that they might have popped out of her head at any moment.

Joe was coming in for a landing again. Reaching back with a large hand, he plucked Rhi off of his shoulders. As he reached the ground once more, he set her down gently, taking his hat back as she held it out to him. "Thanks, babe."

"Hurry back," she said.

"Will do," he promised.

Ethan shouted, interrupting the exchange. "INCOMING!"

As Rhianna ducked and covered in fright, Joe leapt up to catch several more missiles and throw them back.

"STOP SHOOTING AT ME!" he howled in fury.

Ethan snarled, "Gonna die of a frickin' heart attack before dis chemical shit gets da chance!" to no one in particular.

"Alright, kid," Joe sighed. "Let's jet." Turning to Rhianna, he added, "Take care, babe!" With that, he crouched down and launched himself back into the sky.

Rhi waved slightly as she watched the pair turn into little more than a tiny speck. Glancing behind her, she wondered if Takeru was alright. Hopefully he hadn't gotten caught up in any of the explosions from the missiles Joe had sent back the way of the robots. Shaking her head, she turned her attention forward again and began moving straight in the direction that Joe had told them to go.

Above Rhianna's head, the Hulkbusters whizzed past, sending a chill down her spine. Soon they, too, were out of her sight, and she continued moving forward purposefully. Only a few moments later, though, the landscape exploded far ahead of her. The aftershocks rocked the earth beneath her feet, sending her sprawling to the ground for a moment. As she looked up, she watched a ball of fire balloon up from the ground, smaller orbs of flame raining down around it. Leaping to her feet, she ran straight toward it, a prayer for Ethan and Joe's safety echoing in her frantic thoughts.

As she neared the explosion site, she came across a pile of smoking rubble. What had once been a Hulkbuster was now just a smoldering ball of metal, hardly recognizable. She came across several more wreckage sites the closer she got to the town that Joe had mentioned. Her steps slowed as she spotted a small object on the ground in front of her. Leaning down, she picked up the torn fedora. As she gripped it tightly in her hands, she looked around for any sign of life until her gaze fell on a large gray mass in a tattered pinstripe suit. Ethan was nowhere to be found.

Clenching the hat firmly in her fingers, she darted forward. "Joe!" she cried. "Joe, are you alright!?"

He groaned. "Oh, yeah, jus' great," he growled. "Lemme know if ya find my spleen."

"Where's Ethan?" she asked, trying to keep from sounding too frantic.

Joe winced. "Nngh... dunno. Missiles... boom... he went flyin'..." he trailed off.

Rhianna paled considerably at that mental image.

"I'd help ya out," Joe said weakly, "but I'm done, babe. Banner's comin' back, an' he's starin' down tha barrel of one HELL of a headache."

"Don't worry about it," Rhi found herself saying. "Thanks for everything you've done already." She moved away from Joe as he passed out, already beginning to shrink into his natural form as she poked around searching for her companion from the Bronx. She called out his name as she searched, but there was no response.

Hide nor hair of the man could be seen, and the girl knew that there wasn't much else that she could do other than press on toward the town and hope that Takeru would meet her there. She felt terrible leaving Banner behind, but he was at least twice her size. There was no way she could even move him, much less drag him the whole way with her. Perhaps Takeru would stop to help him along. She felt fairly assured that he would.

Some time and quite a bit of walking later, Rhianna reached the town. _Nice little place_, she thought, rubbing her arm nervously as she looked around, making her way down Main Street. Strangely, though, all was not lazy and quiet as small towns often are. Some kind of commotion was buzzing through the streets, seeming to originate from a plume of smoke in the distance. Although Rhianna had certainly had her fill of calamity for the day, the girl found herself unable to avoid moving in that direction to see what was going on.

The setting was not a good one. Like a cliché scene from a hero flick, a large apartment building had caught on fire. Civilians were running amok in a frenzied panic, and the curious motorists who had happened to be passing by the scene had formed a road block that the fire department was unable to get past. Feeling sickened by their ineptitude, Rhianna frowned and dropped into a shadow so she could get closer. Thankfully, everyone seemed far too busy to notice a girl disappearing into the shade.

As per usual, the world was thrown into a sharp inversion of colors, and Rhi found herself momentarily thrown off balance. Once her senses had adjusted, she began moving past the spectators, cars, and fire trucks. As she reached the front of the crowd, Rhi spotted a woman in hysterics. Somehow, it seemed to complete the horrifying scene as she shrieked and wailed about her baby being trapped in the building.

Rhianna's eyes traveled to the burning piece of architecture. Somewhere inside was a helpless child whom the fire department would probably be unable to reach in time. If things were left as they were, the child would probably die.

She knew what she had to do. Springing forward, she dashed through the door and up a flight of stairs. As she moved, she could hear a baby crying. At the first landing, she was able to discern that the sound was coming from her right. Hurrying in that direction, she continued as the cries grew louder and louder. She followed the sound to a doorway, but jumped back as fire surged at her from within.

A scream instinctively escaped her throat as the flames licked across her arm, but she was surprised to find that she actually suffered no pain or injury from it. Emboldened by the new discovery, she forged through the curtain of fire and into the apartment. She searched room after room, at last coming upon the baby's. It was lying in a crib that was a hair's breadth away from catching on fire. Rhi shifted out of a nearby shadow just in time to have to leap out of the way of some falling debris. Moving quickly, she gathered the baby into her arms and stepped back into the first shadow she could find.

A wave of fatigue hit her immediately. "C'mon, Rhi," she breathed as she turned back the way she had come. "You can do this." Each slow step was laborious, and she felt as if she was wearing fifty pounds of weight on each leg. "You just have to make it outside," she mumbled weakly to spur herself on. "You can do it."

As she reached the stairway she lost her footing momentarily, but managed to regain it before falling. Clutching the baby tightly, she stared blearily down the flight of steps. The world was growing swimmy before her eyes, and she sank to sit down on the first stair. Slowly, but surely, she eased herself down step by step. Before reaching the door, she found a shadow to slip out through.

The weight on her lifted, but the exhaustion remained as she staggered back out into the hazy sunlight. Everything felt foggy, and she hardly noticed the woman who practically tackled her with joy. Her mind could hardly comprehend the frenzied hugs and alternating kisses on the cheek between she and the babe. She may have murmured a "you're welcome," but all she could really think was that she was glad no one was questioning her presence.

Rhianna really wanted to get away before anyone started asking questions, but as she staggered forward everyone seemed intent on congratulating her. She attempted to simultaneously thank and shove past them, but she was beginning to feel very faint. For a moment she swayed uncertainly on her feet, almost losing conciousness.

"Whoa!" some man in the crowd shouted over the din. "Uh... people! Give her some air! She's not looking too hot!" He started attempting to shove the masses away from her to little avail.

Rhianna could feel her lungs burning, and for a moment as she coughed and shuddered, she was afraid that she was going to have an episode like the ones she had seen Takeru and Ethan experience. Thankfully, the feelings subsided quickly.

A fireman approached her with an oxygen tank and a blanket. "Alright, people! Listen to the man! Back it up and give her some room!" he yelled authoritatively. Rhi gazed up at him woozily as he wrapped her up in the blanket and helped her fix the oxygen mask over her face. "Just take it easy, miss," he said warmly. "Ya did good."

Rhianna closed her eyes and took a moment to breathe easy. Her thoughts were running a thousand miles a second with paranoia, but there was nothing she could do about her actions now. After several minutes, she was able to calm both her breathing and her panicked thoughts. When she opened her eyes again, she found that she was feeling much better.

It was not to last. A strange sound began to float up through the cheers of the people around her. It was familiar, but her muddled brain couldn't quite place where she knew it from. Then it hit her.

Hulkbusters.

As she whirled around, her composure shattered. "Oh god," she said weakly, tearing off the oxygen mask. One of the monstrous machines had Takeru grasped in its massive hand. He appeared to be unconcious. She couldn't save him. She had to get away. She had to run.

"What the hell are those!?" the fireman next to her exclaimed.

As Rhi leapt to her feet and struggled to put distance between herself and the robots, the crowd around her erupted into panic. The people fled in terror, going every which way. She found herself jostled and shoved in every direction as she fought to get away and find somewhere to hide. Finally, she found an alley to duck into. There, she crouched in the shadows, hugging her knees and listening.

Chaos was all around her. People screamed in terror, and the repetitive thudding footsteps and mechanical whirs of movement from the mecha reverberated in her ears. Her worn out mind tried in vain to formulate a plan. She wanted more than anything to rescue Takeru, but she had no energy left. There was no way she could manage it. Escape seemed just as unlikely an option.

Nearby explosions jerked her out of her thoughts. Trying not to join the fleeing masses in their panic, she edged over to peer around the corner. What she saw caused her eyes to grow wide with disbelief.

A hulkbuster was standing over another destroyed hulkbuster. As Rhi shrank back around the corner, she realized that Takeru was now in the hand of this robot. He seemed to be concious as the machine turned slowly

"Wouldja stop running!?" a voice snapped. "This thing is fuggin' _heavy_!"

Rhianna stared, dumbfounded, as the robot at last turned to face her fully. Ethan was fused to the front of the Hulkbuster, his torso and head the only visible parts of his body, sticking out of the cockpit area. Relief washed over her and she found herself sinking to her knees.

"Oh my god..." she murmured.

"Sorry, babe," Ethan said, reaching down to scoop her up. "Far from it."


End file.
